The Fairy of Battle
by KMSMA-1
Summary: Bloom wasn't the only child Mike and Vanessa had, meet Makantagara, Mara for short. With secrets of the past, a dangerous power hidden within her, and a mysterious man after her, can she handle the adventures and maybe romance that Alfea promises? With her sister and friends by her side, Mara takes on a new world of magic, secrets, and danger around every corner. (Being edited)
1. An Unexpected Event

**Disclaimer:** I own nothing except Mara and a few other ocs, and I never will! So, don't sue me please!

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><p>It was a beautiful mid-morning in Gardenia. The sun was shining brightly in the light blue sky, and the majority of the city was awake and bustling. It seemed that only one person still slept at this time, but that wouldn't last much longer. Vanessa was walking up the steps in her home, heading to wake up her daughters. She stepped into the room the teenage girls shared, quietly slipping past the door. She looked over to her younger, red-headed daughter, who slept peacefully in her bed, and smiled.<p>

"Good morning, Mom." a smooth voice sounded out from the other side of the room.

Vanessa jumped back slightly at the voice. Her heart rate sped up, and her breathing became uneven; then Vanessa's mind registered whose voice it was and began to calm down. Still, with a surprised expression and one hand over where her heart is, she looked over at her daughter, Makantagara, Mara for short. Vanessa wasn't, really, surprised that she was already dressed ready for the day. For some unfathomable reason, the girl always awoke at dawn every day, with no aid from an alarm or wake up call. As her heart beat slowed back to normal she stared at her oldest child.

The sixteen year old was sitting on her bed with her bare feet tucked underneath her. The teenage girl wore what had become her favorite outfit. It consisted of a half black, half red tank top in the front of the shirt a triangle of mid-drift showed, as the shirt cut in diagonals down. A black skirt that's him was slanted to the point where if it weren't for her metallic silver, knee-length leggings, she would not be allowed to wear it at all. Mara's flawless skin was a dark, golden brown, a tone that was slightly darker than her own. Her thick, dark brown, almost black hair was left down and brushed against her lower back; few long bangs fell around her face framing it perfectly. Mara's chocolate-brown eyes steadily gazed at the older woman. Mara certainly did look an Egyptian queen, or rather what most people think of as one.

"You'd think I'd be use to that after nine years." Vanessa sighed, making Mara chuckle lightly.

"At least you didn't scream this time." Mara stated.

She shifted on her bed to where she was facing her mother and her feet were on the floor next to her favorite boots. How she walked, and even ran, in those boots was a mystery to Vanessa. They were six-inch heels that went up halfway up her calves. The thick soles and heels were blood-red; the rest of the shoe was shiny black leather. A black zipper ran down the inner sides of them, and two false buckles wrapped around the boots. Silver, star-shaped studs came from the buckles in a perfect row. Mara slipped them on with practiced ease.

"Why don't you wake Bloom up in the morning?" Vanessa asked walking over to the still sleeping girl.

"We both know how loud she can be when you wake her up. Would you like me to wake up the entire house at sunrise, Mom?" asked Mara with slight sarcasm in her voice.

"No way," answered the older woman immediately, before she turning to Bloom. "Wake up sleepy head, the sun's been up for ages."

"Ugh... five more minutes Mom." Bloom mumbled.

"You're late Bloom." Vanessa said.

With that Bloom, awoke with a start and yelled, school. She hopped from her bed and into the bathroom that was attached to the girls room, waking Kiko in the process. With an unnatural speed Bloom took a shower, dried off in her robe, and got dressed. All the while yelling at the two others in the room.

"Oh no! Mara, why didn't you wake me up before! My alarm didn't even go off! I can't believe this!" Bloom ranted.

Once Bloom had gotten her shirt on she paused and looked over to Mara. She was smirking and had a look in her eyes that said "I can't believe you fell for that." Vanessa was smiling in silent victory as Bloom turned back to her.

"Hang on a sec; school's out. The alarm didn't go off because we're on vacation. Oh, Mom your joke is not funny." Bloom complained.

"But you did fall for it, didn't you?" Vanessa said, laughing a little.

"I'm sleepy. I'm going back to bed." said Bloom, crawling back under her covers still in her day clothes.

"You should try to go to bed earlier. You were up all night reading." Mara interjected, before standing and walking over to her mother and sister.

"Who's side are you on?" Bloom shouted jokingly.

She threw a pillow at her sister's face. It seemed to stay on Mara's face for a few seconds. Mara stood completely still and let it fall to the floor. The Egyptian girl had an emotionless expression when she looked at Bloom. Then the two girls put on fierce glares and enraged looks, to where anyone that didn't know the two would have supposed a few fists to be thrown in a matter of seconds. But both of them busted out laughing instead.

"Girls, come down stairs in a bit, alright?" Vanessa said chuckling at her two daughter's antics.

After their five-minute laughing fit, Bloom grabbed her cell phone and Mara grabbed their wallet. Both girls got an allowance, but kept both of theirs in one wallet since it was a very rare occasion when one was found without the other close by. Kiko hopped around on the floor, staying close behind Bloom. Mara and Bloom went down to the kitchen to see their dad, Mike, sitting at the table, and reading the newspaper. As if on cue he looked up from it and looked in their direction.

"Good morning, sun shines."

"Good morning." the two teens replied.

"Why do we have to spend every summer working in the shop with Mom? Why can't we go somewhere fun with our friends?" Bloom wined at him.

Mara shook her head at her sister's persistence; this was the same conversation as every summer since they entered high school. The chocolate-brown eyed girl looked over at Vanessa, they both shrugged, and Mara sighed in slight annoyance. Vanessa smiled at her eldest and handed Mara a mug of hot tea as she took a sip of her coffee. The younger woman sipped the honey sweetened drink as she watched the all too common scene.

"When you two are older, you can go where ever you want." Mike replied.

"When's older? We're already sixteen, Dad." Bloom asked.

"Only sixteen, you are still my little girls." insisted their dad.

"Dad, it's not fair." Bloom said.

"Listen, in a few weeks we'll all be going to the beach, like we do every year." Mike said reassuringly.

"But all our friends go on holidays by themselves. That would have been the best present ever." Bloom protested.

"Well speaking of presents, we have a little surprise for you two." Vanessa stated setting down her coffee.

"Just a little something to help you both get around Gardenia." added Mike.

"Really? Thanks Dad!" Bloom said with excitement clear in her voice.

Bloom grabbed hold of Mara's arm, and with Kiko hopping in pursuit, started dragging her outside. Mara ran a few steps behind the green-eyed girl, with her tea still in her hand. Without spilling a single drop of Mara's drink, the two hopped down the front steps and stood in their front yard. Bloom only barely held back her look of disappointment, and Mara had to agree with her; the sight was a major let down.

"Is this it?" Bloom whispered to her sister.

"I think so." Mara whispered back, just before the girl's parents appeared behind them.

Two bikes stood in the walkway. The one that was assumed to belong to Mara was on the left. It had a shiny, silver-colored frame with white tires. A basket held an arrangement of blue irises. Bloom's presumed bike had a metallic, bright red base with similar white tires. Instead of irises Bloom's basket held some unnameable purple flowers and a small ball. The two teenager's guessed it was for Kiko, because he went everywhere with Bloom.

"Nice huh?" Mike said.

"Uh well..." Bloom started.

"Yeah... thanks." Mara finished.

Bloom slowly walked over to her bike to check it out, she got on it, and then waited for Mara to join her. Kiko bounded after her and jumped into Bloom's basket. Mara finished her half full cup of tea in two gulps, and handed it to Vanessa. Mara walked over to her bike and got on it. They waved to their parents before taking off. The two pedaled a short distance before stopping at a cross-section in the road. They got off of their bikes and walked with them some way.

"Ugh, he'll never change. Our Dad will never let us ride anything faster than a bicycle." Bloom sighed.

"Don't worry about it, _**شقيقة **_(sister). I have a feeling that something amazing will happen today." Mara said, placing a reassuring hand on Bloom's shoulder.

"Well, I hope you're right. Thanks Mara." Bloom said smiling at her.

"Hey Bloom! Mara!" Mitzi yelled, catching their attention, "Vacationing in Gardenia this year?"

"No." Mara said firmly. She never liked Mitzi, and she had always felt like knocking her lights out when she was around.

"Actually, we'll be going away very soon." Bloom added.

"The same old beach, huh? I'll send you two a postcard from our vacation place. That will give you two a chance to see something different." Mitzi said.

Bloom's face twisted in anger, and she practically growled at Mitzi. Mara despised the "I'm better than you" tone coming always from her, and simply glared at Mitzi. The Egyptian's brown eyes began to glow a faint gold color, as they always do when she feel a strong emotion. Kiko, being no fonder of the snobbish girl, blew a raspberry at her in a mocking way. Bloom and Mara both laughed quietly at Kiko's actions.

"Hey! Careful with that scooter. It's brand new you know." Mitzi said to two men unloading a pink electric scooter.

"Have a nice summer Mitzi. See you in school." Bloom said.

She waved goodbye as she got back on her bike. Mara followed suit and without a word rode away beside Bloom. They traveled down the road a short way before either spoke.

"What a show off." said Bloom.

"You just figuring that out?" teased Mara.

"Yes I am." Bloom responded sarcastically.

Both girls looked at each other, then began to laugh. They rode through the some of the town, talking about nothing, and laughing like they always do.

"Hey, we should go to the park." Mara suggested.

"Sound like a plan." Bloom agreed.

The girls pedaled to their favorite spot and stopped. Mara propped hers on her kickstand a few feet away from them, and Bloom rested her bike ageist a nearby tree. The Egyptian girl laid in the grass in the small clearing with a relaxed sigh. Bloom sat under a tree about four feet from her sister. Kiko leaped out of Bloom's basket and scampered off.

"Keep close Kiko." Bloom called out at the small rabbit.

"Yeah, we won't protect you from those scary squirrels this time." Mara said jokingly.

Kiko was gone barely a minute before he came running back again. He was screaming bloody murder. Kiko ran over to Bloom, paused for a moment, and then fell on his face. Mara stood up in concern and walked over to the bunny and her sister. Bloom looked down at him in confusion, with wide eyes. Kiko bounded back up to his hind legs and began pulling on Bloom's jeans, pointing in the direction he had just come from.

"What's the matter Kiko?" Bloom asked, still confused.

"Has something happened?" Mara asked.

Kiko was shouting something so fast and frantic, that what he was saying sounded like nonsense even to him. He finally gave up on speech and hopped in the direction he had come from, looking back at the girls expectantly. Mara and Bloom looked at each other and silently decided to follow the light blue bunny. They went a short way and found a larger clearing than the one they were just at. The two girls hid behind some trees, and Kiko hopped on a small tree stump. Both hidden girls stared in shock at what they saw. A blonde teenage girl who had wings was fighting off a bunch of small, red and black, creepy looking creatures. With a light blue staff in one hand, she held out her other one towards one of the creatures.

"Rising Sun Burst!" the blonde girl yelled.

A bright light collected in her hand and shot out at the creature. The small thing was vaporized by the light just before it faded. Behind the one creature, a large shadowy figure stood surrounded by more of the odd creatures. Bloom was about to speak before Mara clamped a hand over her mouth; the blonde made another attack, and Kiko fainted on the stump.

"Solar Wind!" the girl shouted.

The orange clad girl took her staff and struck the ground with the bottom. Both her and the staff glowed a bright yellow. Where the staff and the ground met sparks of light rained out and two of the creatures were knocked against trees. One was caught by the shadowy figure in a massive yellow hand. The giant creature clinched it's hand and the small monster evaporated. The large creature stepped out of the shadows. At this moment Kiko finally woke up from his fainting spell.

"Go away villain, or you will feel the magic of the sun and moon fairy!" the blonde girl yelled at the monster.

The huge creature gave a wordless yelled and charged at the blonde. He hit her hard, and she flew back several feet. She landed on her back. The creatures drew closer to the blonde. Mara let go of Bloom, and tensed in anger; her eyes turning gold. The bigger monster stepped forward.

"Ah, your time's up fairy. Ghoulies take the scepter!" the yellow creature said.

The small creatures jumped at the blonde and took hold of her arms, legs, and head. One of them grabbed hold of the scepter. The larger monster yanked the staff away from the ghouls and stepped closer to the blonde. He leaned down to the blonde. Bloom and Mara could no longer stand by, so they stepped out of their hiding spot. Mara stood to the right of the stump Kiko was perched on, with Bloom on the left.

"Not so big now, are ya?" he said.

"Let her go!" Bloom shouted.

"Our else!" Mara added.

"What... what are we going to do?" Bloom whispered to Mara.

The yellow monster stood up, and turned his head in the direction of the two girls. Mara go into a fighting stance, and did not show any fear on her face. Bloom, however, looked freaked out and stood there. The monster turned all the way to the girls and glared at them.

"Get them!" He yelled at his minions.

The ghouls ran towards the two. Bloom cringed backward slightly, and Mara stepped in front of her. The ghouls gained some speed and got about three feet from the girls.

"Get back!" Mara yelled.

Mara stuck out her hand in defense, looked back at he scared sister and the once again fainted Kiko, and then back to the attackers. She began to glow a dark green color. Three ghouls jumped at her, but they never go that close. Three huge, translucent, green snakes shot from her outstretched hand and coiled around the ghouls. The small creatures fell to the earth struggling to break free of the bind. Bloom stared at Mara for a moment. The the shocked redhead mouthed out the word wow. Mara looked at them, then without thinking she clenched her hand. The translucent snakes grip on the ghouls tightened until the snakes and the ghouls burst. Both girls looked at Mara's hand with matching expressions of surprise. The Mara remembered the blonde girl and ran to help her. She only got two feet away before another ghoul attacked. Kiko, who was shaking in fear on the stump, jumped up suddenly. Seeing that the danger was supposedly gone, he began to box with the air. Another one of the ghouls prowled up from behind the stump. Bloom saw this and grabbed a stick from the ground. Just as it was about to pounce on the little bunny, Bloom poked it to get its attention.

"Hands off Kiko!" Bloom yelled.

She swung the stick like a baseball bat; she hit the ghoul in the head with a tremendous amount of force. The stick shattered on impact. The ghoul was knocked several feet back, and once it hit a nearby tree it disintegrated. Bloom stood with half of the stick in her hand, smiling at the awestruck Kiko. The bigger monster walked up behind Bloom and with one huge hand, grabbed her by her forearms. He lifted her up and swung her around some, then faced Mara, who was half way between them and the blonde.

"Bloom, no!" Mara yelled.

"I'll smash her like a china doll." he said.

"No!" Bloom yelled.

The teenager began to glow a bright orange-yellow color for a moment. Then Bloom's entire body shined with an intense, bright white light. A dragon figure formed of that same light and flew around her. The yellow monster yelled in pain as he and all the ghouls were forced back. Mara had to plant her feet into the earth to stay standing from the blast. The dragon, that was now a faint orange, flew at the sky and exploded like a firework.

"Bloom!" Mara yelled, rushing over to her offering her a hand up, "Are you okay?"

Bloom nodded and grabbed her sister's hand. Kiko hopped over and into Bloom's arms. The blonde stood up also, grabbing her scepter, she walked over to the girls.

"Wow, that was powerful!" she said.

The yellow monster got up and growled at the trio. The winged girl turned to face him. She got into a defensive position with her scepter pointed to the ground and her back slightly hunched forward. Her hair seemed to move as if blown by wind.

"I have my scepter back," she stated, "You don't scare me any more."

And with that, a bright ball of light shot at him from the top of the scepter. The large creature flew back from the impact. Ghouls surrounded the three girls;six in all, three were behind them, and three to the front. Bloom panicked and froze holding a petrified Kiko. Mara faced the back of them and got into a fighting stance. When the ghouls in the front pounced the blonde began to glow once more. She spun her scepter like a baton and made a curve in the air; a stream of light shot out and struck the three ghouls. Mara, not knowing how she did the snake thing from earlier, relied on her _sandan_* in Karate. With fast reflexes she grabbed hold of the two ghouls that jumped at her and tossed them at two trees. One of the ghouls slipped around Mara while she was tossing the other two. It came up to Bloom and bit her leg. The girl yelled in shock and pain as she tried to shake it off. Kiko hopped down from Bloom's arms and landed on the ghoul's head. Tearing some of Bloom's pants off in its mouth; the ghoul let go and ran back to the yellow monster.

"We'll meet again blonde." he said, before placing his hands together and escaping in a beam of purple-pink light.

"Good riddance." Mara said.

Without warning the blonde collapsed to the ground. Mara, Bloom, and Kiko rushed over to help. In a small, brief flash of yellow light the blonde was in a different outfit. She looked like a fashionable princess with wings in what she was wearing after the flash. Mara took note that the scepter was now a ring on her finger. Both girls knelt to her side.

"Hey, are you alright?" Bloom asked shaking the blonde's arm.

"She out cold. We need to get her some help." Mara said.

"Yeah, no kidding." Bloom agreed.

Bloom picked up the blonde and placed her on Mara's back. With the unconscious girl in place, the pair set off for home. Kiko hopped into Bloom's waiting arms. They stopped by the clearing they were in earlier and retrieved their bikes. Bloom placed Kiko in her basket and pushed both bikes, through the town. Once the girls go home they placed the blonde girl on the couch, and after checking over her, they covered her with a blanket. Silently the two sister's were grateful that both of their parents were at work. Neither of them had the energy to try explaining what happened at the park. For a few minutes the teens talked about what had happened back there, but neither knew. So, drained of almost all of their energy, they both slipped into bed for a quick rest. Once their heads hit the pillows they were just as out as the blonde.

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><p><em><strong>Meanwhile...<strong>_

In space filled with almost nothing but shadows and mist, three pairs of glowing, green, faceless eyes floated in the thick air.

"Knut, come forward." a harsh, female voice sounded from the mist.

The giant, yellow monster from the clearing slumped into view.

"So, you failed." said a different female voice.

"Not my fault Your Highness. I had the scepter in my hand, but then these earthling girls appeared and messes everything up." Knut protested.

"Earthling girls?" another feminine voice questioned.

"Oh, but they were not your ordinary earthlings. They have power, these girls. One defeated my ghouls just like that." Knut explained.

"Interesting. Describe them!" the first voice said.

"Um... well... let's see... she was a..." Knut mumbled.

"Knut, your glasses where are they?" the third voice asked.

Knut fished in his pocket and pulled out a pair of nerdy looking black glasses.

"Right here Highness." He said.

"Well put them on your dolt!" yelled the third voice.

"A nearsighted ogre, how ridiculous." the second voice said.

"If only he'd wear his glasses he'd be alright." said the first voice.

"Oh, would you stop defending him!" the second voice shrieked.

"An ogre with glasses, looks kinda lame." Knut mumbled.

"Quiet! Those girls could mean something to us!" yelled the first voice.

"Don't worry your Highness's one of my ghouls grabbed this," Knut said, pulling the torn cloth of Bloom's pants from his pocket. "It's a piece of one of the girls clothing. To us this is nothing, but to a hunting troll it's an important clue."

A blue creature, that was bigger than Knut, with long black hair stepped out from the shadows. Knut handed it the cloth, and the hunter troll began to inhale the scent.

"See." Knut said.

"Good, then go back to Gardenia and find the girls. And this time..." the third voice said.

"Don't let us down!" all three said.

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><p><em><strong>Back with the girls...<strong>_

Six hours after the had returned home they woke up to the sound of a car parking outside. Both girls looked at each other with looks of "Did that really happen?" on their faced. Once they got up from their beds, they noticed that the sun had gone down, and that a part of Bloom's pants was torn off. A shared thought passed through their minds. The two, along with a now wide awake Kiko, raced down the stairs. They saw the blonde still laying on the couch, and the two's parents by the door. Mike stood there looking confused as Vanessa walked over to the blonde concerned.

"Girls, what's going on?" Mike asked.

The girls looked at each other, and took a deep breath. They told them everything that had happened to them since that morning. Everything from Mitzi's boasting about her vacation and the scooter, to them bringing the blonde to the house was said in seemingly that one breath. Bloom and Mara took deep breaths to even out their respiration. They looked to their Mom and Dad for any sign that they believe them.

"Bloom. Mara. I'm not sure I understand. Could you run that by me again." Mike said.

"We already told you, Dad. She was attacked by some horrible creatures." Mara said.

"She is some kind of fairy." Bloom added.

"Hm... I see." said Mike.

"You believe us then?" Bloom asked.

"No, I don't. I think we should call the police and take this girl to a hospital." Mike responded.

"N...no please...don't tell anyone." the blonde mumbled, finally waking up.

"She's coming to. How do you feel dear?" Vanessa asks.

"I'm alright. Thanks for helping me out." said the blonde girl.

"Oh, it was nothing." Bloom said.

"Don't mention it." said Mara.

"My name is Stella." said the blonde, introducing herself.

"Hi Stella, my name is Bloom."

"My name is Makantagara, but just call me Mara."

"Should we call your parents, Stella?" asked Vanessa.

"That would be difficult; I come from a place a bit far from here. Have you heard of Solaria? It's a kingdom far far away. I'm a fairy you know. I was trying to get to Alfea castle in the realm of Magix." Stella explained.

"Oh, but of course. I'm calling the police. It doesn't take a genius to figure out the this girl is out of her mind." Mike said.

He walked over to the phone. Stella's face scrunched in anger at what Mike had said. Bloom stood by her mother, and she looked at Mara, who was standing a few feet from their father. But before he could dial the number, or Mara could stop him, sparks of light shot out of Stella's finger and the phone turned into a carrot and a cabbage. Mike made a dumbfounded face.

"Well, you believe me now." Stella said in a mocking tone.

"I saw her, and I believe her." Bloom said.

"Dad, I believe her." Mara said firmly.

"Those creatures attacked me, and I was forced to land here, on your planet. Your daughters saved my life. Mara took down three ghouls with a single constriction spell, and Bloom pushed back an Ogre with a burst of magic." Stella explained.

"We don't actually know what we did." Mara and Bloom said in unison.

"A fairy doesn't need to know, she just does it." said Stella.

"We're fairies?" the sisters asked.

"Of course you are, don't tell me your not. Have you registered for the new program at Alfea castle? It's the best school for young fairies like us." Stella said.

"No, no, stop talking nonsense please." Mike said.

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><p><em><strong>Meanwhile Elsewhere...<strong>_

An old abandoned warehouse sat on the edge of Gardenia. Behind the building in the silence of the night two flashes of purple lightning struck. In deep purple, misty silhouettes two large figures and several small ones emerged from thin air.

"Ah, here we are," Knut said. "troll do your thing."

The gigantic troll took several more sniffs of the cloth in his hand, and then looked around.

"Find that girl. And where one of them is, the other must be close by." Knut ordered.

"This way." the troll grunted before walking off.

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><p><em><strong>Back with the girls...<strong>_

"So this is your room, huh? Wow, who drew these?" Stella said referring to the sketches hanging around the room.

"I did." Bloom said.

"They're amazing! Sorry, I'm a bit nosy." Stella said.

"Don't worry about it." Mara said.

"The thing is we still don't know what happened at the park." Bloom said, gesturing to her torn jeans.

"Look you two used your powers to save me. You should be proud of yourself. In my world magic is a part of life, and powers such as yours are perfectly normal." Stella assured.

"Your world is like that?" Mara asked.

"I still can't get over what happened." Bloom said.

"Strong feelings, such as fear, have summoned up the wonderful powers that are in you. They were always there. You just didn't know it. It's just a question of concentration. With your energy you two can do anything." said Stella.

She then turned to the girls computer desk. Stella spun her hands in small circles, and a the pencils in a cup on the desk glowed yellow. The pencils floated in the air and came together to form a huge white and pink pencil.

"Okay, now it's your turn Bloom. Get them back in their original shape." said Stella.

Bloom held out her arms to the pencil. She tried, but it simply fell to the floor.

"Well?" Stella asked.

"Nothing. You try Mara." Bloom said.

Mara nodded and held out her arms stick straight towards the pencil. She took a deep breath, and closed her eyes, remembering what her Karate _sensei_* taught her about concentration. Mara felt a strange surge of energy run through her. The pencil lifted in the air and split into two pencils. One pencil was orange and blue, the other was green and purple. Before falling to the floor they each spun twice. Mara opened her eyes again and looked at Stella and Bloom.

"I told you to take those Karate classes with me." Mara teased. The three girls laughed.

"That was pretty good, Mara. Anyway you both should come with to Alfea castle, the school for fairies. A new session is about to start. You two could learn to really control your powers. I'm sure you'll make excellent fairies." Stella said, changing the pencils back and making them float into the cup.

"Where's Alfea?" Bloom asked.

"It's in the enchanted realm of Magix. A place beyond time and space, where everything is possible. If you want to see the school I'll show it to you." said Stella.

A small gold card with a picture of a castle on it appeared in her hand. Stella let it float to the floor like a leaf. When it was an inch from the floor it froze in place and grew to the size of a rug.

"This is a bottomless postcard. Magix!" Stella explained, she began to sink into the card. "Now, follow me."

Mara and Bloom looked at each other in surprise what they had just seen.

* * *

><p><em><strong>Meanwhile...<strong>_

A darkened alleyway hid the two monsters and many ghouls from view only for a moment. The group of creatures stepped out into the moonlight.

"She's not far. The smell is strong. There are two other fairies." grunted the hunter troll.

"It's Stella, and that other one. Their together." Knut said.

* * *

><p><em><strong>At Bloom and Mara's Home...<strong>_

"You ready?" Bloom asked her sister.

"As I'll ever be." Mara replied.

The girls held onto the others hand and stepped onto the card. They began to phase through it.

"Hurry up before the gate closes!" Stella yelled from the other side of it.

A few seconds later both Mara and Bloom were gone. The troll, who was just outside the girl's home, suddenly came to a complete halt. He sniffed the air a few times, then turned to Knut.

"I've lost the scent. She's disappeared." he grunted.

"Huh, fairies, it's totally ridiculous!" Mike's voice came from inside the house.

The group of creatures hurried away. Vanessa stepped in front of the window, creating a silhouette.

"Mike, it's not ridiculous it's true. Come on admit it. You and I both know Stella is a real fairy, but you're afraid to believe it." Vanessa said, pointing to her husband, "Mike if this is our daughters true nature, who are we to stop them."

* * *

><p><em><strong>With the girls...<strong>_

Bloom and Mara looked up at the card the now hovered above them. They both looked around at the beautiful forest they now stood in. A tan and light pink castle was in the distance.

"This is Alfea castle. Nice huh? I'm sure you both would like it here." Stella said.

"But what about our high school in Gardenia? I mean everything's happening so fast." Bloom said.

"Then think about it. I've got to leave tomorrow, with our without you two." said Stella.

"Don't worry sis. We'll sleep on it and have our answers tomorrow." Mara assured.

"Thanks sis. Now, how do we get out of here?" Bloom asked.

"That's easy. All you gotta do is jump up." Stella said.

The three jumped up and appeared back in Mara and Bloom's room.

"Wait a minute! The scent is back! There in that house!" the troll grunted, pointing at a nearby home.

"Good work troll. They can't escape us now," Knut said, "We'll go in through the back door and take the whole happy family by surprise."

Kiko was hopping about in the kitchen looking for Bloom. He turned around toward the window and saw some ghouls. The small bunny screamed, and raced to Mike and Vanessa.

"What's wrong Kiko? We'll play later, we're really busy right now." Mike said.

There was a banging on the back door, and nether adult seemed to notice. Kiko pulled on Vanessa's pant leg and pointed to the door. He hopped a few times in the direction of the door and pointed to it frantically.

"Hungry again? You just had your dinner. You're gonna have to wait." Mike said.

Kiko hopped back into the kitchen and over to the door. He tried to hold the door closed himself, the creatures on the other side still banging on it. Then Kiko had an idea he grabbed a bunch of the kitchen furniture and tried to barricade the door with them. It worked at first, then the structure fell. Mike and Vanessa, hearing the crash, walked toward the kitchen.

"What is that rabbit doing, trashing the kitchen? Kiko come here immediately!" Mike yelled.

A loud roar echoed through the house, alerting the girls to the creatures presence as well. The hunter troll broke down the door and smashed the couch. Ghouls ran into the house with Knut close behind. Mike and Vanessa held each other close at the other end of the room, shaking in fear.

"Those girls must be around here somewhere." Knut said, while ghouls terrified the adults.

"We're right behind you." Stella said.

"What?" Knut yelled.

"Now let's settle this." Stella said.

Stella transformed into the way she was when Mara and Bloom first saw her. The hunter troll stepped forward to fight. The now winged girl jumped from the stairs, and she hovered above the floor for a moment with her smallish wings fluttering like a humming birds. Stella rocketed at the beast and landed a kick to his face, knocking him back a foot.

"You really going to get beat by a ditzy bond?" Knut yelled at the troll.

"But, I no ordinary blonde," Stella said, "Mara, Bloom, we're outnumbered. We're going to have to split them up."

"I have an idea. We'll take care of the ghouls." whispered Bloom.

"Alright. Come at us, ghoulies!" Mara yelled, grabbing Bloom's hand and pulling her outside.

"Alright blonde, wanna see what me and the troll can do? If I were you I get ready to like my wounds, know what I mean." Knut said. Mike and Vanessa crept out the window while the Ogre spoke.

"Very well, let's see what you two can do against me." Stella said.

Mara and Bloom succeeded in leading all the ghouls outside, but unfortunately that is as far as Bloom had planned this. Eight ghouls surrounded them in a half circle. Bright flashes of light came from inside the house. Both girls looked around for something to strike the ghouls with. Out of no where an upside down pot moved across the ground in the girls direction. Bloom picked it up to see that nothing was under it. Bloom tossed it aside, and at that particular moment another flash of light came from the house. Knut fell from the back door with a thud, landing on the ghouls. For a minute both of the sisters thought that the fight was over and that Stella won. That is until, of course, Stella was thrown out the window, shattering the glass. Both girls ran to her.

"Stella!" Bloom yelled.

"Girls, don't worry. I've called the Specialists." Stella said.

"Who?" both teenagers asked.

The hunter troll came through the back door with a furious expression. It stepped towards the trio of girls. Mara taking action stood in front of the other two. With one swing of his arm the troll hit the side of her face and sent her flying several feet away.

"Mara!" both Bloom and Stella yelled.

The troll was about to strike at the other two girls when a whip with a purple ball at the end of it wrapped around its neck. Bloom and Stella looked over to four boys dressed in a type of uniform. One with short brown hair leaning lazily on a large, green, glowing sword. Another with short orange hair, glasses, holding what looked like a high-tech gun. Another one that had long blonde hair and a glowing blue shield and sword. Then there was another with dark purple hair with a whip in hand.

"Guys I'm ready." said the one with glasses.

"Okay, let's take him to jail where he belongs." said the male blond.

"What's the matter, don't you guys wanna have a little fun first?" the guy with purple hair asked.

"I wouldn't be so cocky if I were you. After all this is only our first mission." the brunette said.

Right after the brunette spoke the troll jerked and sent the purple haired boy flying in Stella and Bloom's direction. He landed right in between the girls. The troll turned to the guys and Knut stood up ready to fight. But something went unnoticed by everyone, Mara stood up slowly from her place on the ground, and before anyone could move another muscle she yelled a wordless sound. Moving at a too fast to be human pace she kicked the troll in the side of the face and into Knut, knocking them both down for a moment.

"You have destroyed my home, terrorized my parents, and harmed my sister. You will pay!" Mara hissed, rage prominent in her now glowing gold eyes.

A dark poisonous green light surrounded Mara and she twirled around on the tip of her right foot. Sand that came out of nowhere swirled around her form; Mara's hair flew up and twisted into a long braid tied off with a red ribbon. The twisting sand then combined with the green light around Mara's shirt and leggings, then dispersed leaving behind a halter made of pure white bandages and a white, mid-thigh length skirt. From her back a pair of translucent gold, red tipped beetle-like wings spread. Mara brought her crossed hands up to her neck and pulled them up in a wide U shape; a thick gold necklace -that looked more like the top of a turtle neck- with a blood-red scarab gem at where her hands were crosses appeared. With another twist accessories were added. A gold belt with the Eye of Horus on the buckle tightened around her hips. White bandages wrapped around her arm from her wrist to her elbow, and a gold bangle appears on her other wrist. Mara's boots stayed the same except for the coloring; the black turned white, the stars became red, and the heel turned gold. When all this ended Mara stood in her fighting stance.

"Whoa!" Stella said.

"No time for admiring. We have to get out-of-the-way." Bloom said.

The girls grabbed hold of the purple haired guy and ran around Mara. Once they got to the other side with the other Specialists, they let go of him. Looking back to the fight they saw the troll and Knut stand up to fight Mara.

"Um, shouldn't we help her?" the one with glasses asked.

"No, not yet. I know my sister, and believe me you don't want to interfere with her fights." Bloom said.

"You two are sisters?" the blonde asked.

"Yes." Bloom said not taking her eyes off of Mara.

A loud roar interrupted any other questions that might have been asked. The troll charged at Mara, but she flew up swiftly dogging him. She let her wings go still at around ten feet in the air and plummeted down kicking the giant in the head once again. Once she landed from her attack she held out her arms out from her sides, a dark green magical energy crisscross down them. When they got to her wrists snake heads formed. The snake heads opened to reveal sharp fangs as the magic shaped in her hands; from the magic two _Khopesh_* formed. The Khopesh were silver, twenty-one inch long, hook-like swords. Each blade was sharp on the outside and smooth inside; both of curved tips was pointed, like the fang of a cobra. Knut tried to slam her into the earth the moment she landed, but was blocked by her Khopesh. The tips dug into his fists, and made him cringe backward. By this time the troll had gotten back on to its feet, and once again charged at Mara with his fist raised ready to punch her. Mara was too quick for him though; she turned around and slid between his legs and tripped him with her weapons. Once Mara was on the other side of the troll she stood with both Khopesh held over her struck them into the ground in one swift motion and a crack formed underneath the beast, but it wasn't enough to trap it. The brunette, catching on to what Mara was trying to do also struck the earth with his weapon, making the trench wider, but it was still not enough. The one with glasses also understanding the plan shot at the ground directly beneath the troll. That was all that was needed and the hunter troll fell into the chasm.

"Bulls eye!" shouted the Specialist with glasses.

"Yeah, well done, but it's not over yet." said the blonde male.

The remaining twenty or so ghouls attacked the group, and the Specialists jumped into action alongside Mara. The guy with the gun shot at several without missing a shot. The blonde guy fought off eight while protecting Bloom and Stella. The purple haired guy charged into a cluster of five and took out two with one swing while another attacked him from behind. Mara hooked the ghoul on his back by the neck with one of her Khopesh and slammed it to the ground, making it disappear. The guy and Mara locked eyes for a moment and both smirked and nodded at each other. They began to take down ghouls once again. The brunette was taking out four at a time. Knut punched the purple haired guy and was blasted in the back by Bloom and Stella knocking him out for a few moments. After all the ghouls were taken care of all that was left was Knut. Knut had stood once again and looked around. Mara and the Specialists had him surrounded on all sides. Weighing his options, Knut turned to Mara and glared at her.

"I'll get you next time girlies." Knut hissed, just before he vanished again.

"Finally this is over." Stella said.

Bloom and Stella ran over to Mara. Bloom hugged her sister tightly, and Stella gave her a high-five. Once Bloom let go of Mara, the Specialists walked over to them.

"Wow, sis that was incredible!" Bloom shouted.

"Yeah, nice work." added Stella.

"No big deal." Mara said casually.

"Anyway, girls meet the Specialists. Boy's introduce yourselves please." Stella said.

"I'm Riven." said the purple haired guy.

"I'm Prince Sky." said the brunette.

"My name's Timmy." said the one with glasses.

"And I'm Brandon, Prince Sky's squire." said the blond.

"Hey you where do you think you're going!" Timmy yelled at the troll.

The troll popped it's head out from the cavern in the ground. Timmy placed a strange collar around its neck. Mike and Vanessa walk around the corner, right when rings of light formed around the troll and lifted it about three feet into the air. The boys all stood around him, and as a spiral of blue light engulfed them the waved goodbye to the girls.

"See you later." they said in unison.

After the guys left the girls turned to Mike and Vanessa. Stella and Bloom calmly explained to them what happened. After a little while Mara changed back into her normal self. The sun began to rise and the family with the addition of Stella began preparing for the day. Mike started cleaning up the house and the women gathered in Bloom and Mara's room. After a few minutes Stella came back down the stairs. Mike was sweeping at the time.

"You know, it would be easy for me to clean this up with a little magic." Stella offered.

"No thanks, but I prefer it this way." stated Mike.

"They're ready." Vanessa said, standing behind the two girls each holding a suitcase.

"You're sure about this sweethearts?" Mike asked.

"Yes Dad." Mara stated, giving him no room for argument.

"Yes, we are going with Stella to the realm of Magix at Alfea castle." Bloom agreed.

"Call us as soon as you two get there, and let us know everything. I still can't believe we agreed to this. What if you two get sick? What if you run into the monsters again?" Mike panicked.

"Mom, Dad, don't worry about us. I'm not going to let anything happen to either of us any time soon." Mara said.

"Girls we love you, and please come back home when the session is over next summer. We'll miss you both." Vanessa said.

"We're gonna miss you two so much." Bloom assured.

"Ah ah ah, Did you really think we'd let you go just like that? No, we're coming with you." Mike said.

"What? You don't trust us Dad?" said Mara.

"No, that's not it. I just want to check out this place. Just to see if it's okay for my little girls." Mike said grabbing his jacket.

"Alright, are you ready?" Stella asked, taking her ring off and changing it into her scepter.

"We were born ready." Mike said.

"To Magix!" Stella shouted.

The air around Stella and the scepter began to glow a bright yellow. A purple swirl of magic spiraled out from her feet. The group disappeared in a blinding flash of white light. They were pulled into a purple tunnel-like space. The five Gardenians, including Kiko, yelled as the fell through the space. A shimmer of light formed at the end of the space and the group vanished again. The six people fall out of another purple vortex. Mike, Vanessa, and Kiko land on their buts, while the three fairies landed gracefully on their feet. The adults looked around at the forest in amazement.

"Wow, it really does exist!" Mike exclaimed.

"You believe us now." the sisters said in unison.

"We have to go. Classes are about to start." Stella said.

They all walked a short way through the forest. In silence, Mike and Vanessa each took in where they were. Even they could sense a small bit of the magical energy in the ground. Over a cliff and past a crystal clear lake stood Alfea castle. Two blue topped towers jutted out of the bright green forest. The path they were walking on led to the side of the castle.

"Wow!" Mike exclaimed.

* * *

><p>1) Sandan- dan are the ranks in Japanese arts. It is what a 3rd rank black belt is called.<p>

2) Sensei- teacher in Japanese. If you didn't know that, you live under a rock.

3) Khopesh- the Egyptian name of the Canaanite "sickle-sword", in Assyrian know as sappara. It's origins can be traced back to Sumer of the third millennium BCE.


	2. Welcome to Alfea

_**Last Time...**_

_They all walked a short way through the forest. In silence, Mike and Vanessa each took in where they were. Even they could sense a small bit of the magical energy in the ground. Over a cliff and past a crystal clear lake stood Alfea castle. Two blue topped towers jutted out of the bright green forest. The path they were walking on led to the side of the castle._

_"Wow!" Mike exclaimed._

* * *

><p>"So, this is the realm of Magix." Vanessa said.<p>

"This is like nothing I've ever seen." said Mike.

"That must be your school over there. You you two excited?" Vanessa asked, pointing to the castle.

"You bet." Bloom said.

"Definitely." Mara agreed.

"Let's go then. You don't want to... mph!" Mike began walking a little closer to the building, only to be stopped in his tracks by something. "Hey, it's like an invisible wall. I can't get through."

"Really? Where?" Bloom and Mara asked. Both girls, along with Kiko, walked past their father, feeling nothing.

"I can't feel anything. Can you Bloom?" Mara asked. Bloom shook her head.

"Are you guys pulling our legs?" Bloom asked.

"No, honey, honest." Mike answered.

"It's a protective barrier. It keeps non-magical creatures out of Alfea. I'm sorry, but you can't go any farther." Stella explained.

She made a small ball of yellow light and tossed it in the air. The light ball shot out what looked like lightning, striking the barrier. The group gasped as a small part to the barrier became visible. Mara took note that it was basically an invisible dome surrounding the entire castle. The light faded and the dome became translucent once more.

"Mom. Dad." Bloom said as the two teens walked past the barrier again.

"I guess it's time to say goodbye girls." Vanessa said sadly.

Mara and Bloom walked over to them, throwing their suitcases to the side. Both girls wrapped their arms around their parents. The hugged them tightly for a few seconds before anyone spoke, Bloom gave in to some tears, and Mara fought them back.

"Oh, my precious little girls." Vanessa said hugging the girls even tighter before letting them both go.

"Always do your bests, okay. And remember we're always here for both of you, no matter what." Mike said to them before turning to Kiko, who saluted him. "Kiko, you keep an eye on them."

"Don't worry they're in good hands. Come on we gotta go." Stella said.

"We'll be back home for a visit as soon as we can." said Bloom.

"Tell Akeem everything, won't you?" Mara asked them.

"Of course." they replied.

"I'll send you both home okay? Just stay right there and don't move." Stella advised.

Stella look off her ring and tossed it in the air. The ring started to glow a bright orange color in midair. It froze high above the group and gleamed a bright light, making it look like a star shining in the middle of the day. From the gleam the scepter formed, it spun rapidly in the air then fell into Stella's waiting hand. Stella said goodbye to Mike and Vanessa before waving the scepter at them. Two beams of light formed around the two. Slowly the adults began to vanish from their feet up. Once they were gone the beams of light narrowed to nothing.

"Last chance to turn back." Stella said.

"We have made up our minds." Mara stated.

"Yeah, we're going." Bloom added.

"Okay then let's go." Stella said, changing her scepter back to a ring and slipping it on her finger. "By the way, who is Akeen?"

"It's Akeem, Stella, not Akeen.." Bloom said.

"If it weren't for him I wouldn't be here." Mara added solemnly.

After Mara made that comment the three dropped the subject and turned it to other things that weren't so serious. They made their way to the castle entrance making idle chit-chat. Kiko hopped into Bloom's arms half way there. The got passed the gates that opened like spreading wings. The sisters looked around it awe at the beautiful school. There were small groups of girls around their age talking and catching up. An older woman with short brown hair, and sharp-looking glasses, scowling at a green clipboard caught Bloom and Mara's attention.

"Stella, who's that?" Bloom asked.

"That's Griselda. She's the head of discipline." Stella said.

"But we aren't on the list. How are we going to get in?" Bloom said.

"Uh... gosh I didn't think of that." Stella said.

"Stella!" Bloom whined.

"Don't worry sis. I have a plan; Stella hold our luggage for a second. Just follow my lead." Mara said.

She walked over to Griselda with the two other girls close behind. Stella grumbled about the weight of the two suitcases, looking confused and angry. Bloom shared Stella's confusion and secretly wondered what Mara was planing. Griselda, noticing the three girls approach, put both her hands on her hips with one eyebrow raised in a questioning expression. The older woman was so distracted looking over the three teens, that she didn't notice a white-haired woman approach as well, but Mara did.

"Princess Stella of Solaria, I never thought I'd see you here again, after what happened last year. And who are your friends?" Griselda sneered, leering at the two earthlings.

"Ah... I'm Bloom, Miss." Bloom sputtered out.

"I am _Makantagara_*, but feel free to call me as Mara, Miss. Griselda." said Mara in a very respectful tone.

Caught off guard for a moment, Griselda simply stared at Mara for a few moments. The elder brunette blinked twice, at the darkly dressed teenager. The white-haired woman drew closer to Griselda's left and place a hand on her shoulder. At this the head of discipline jumped at the sudden gesture, then relaxed at the sight of who it was.

"Is there something wrong, Griselda?" the white-haired woman asked.

"Oh, no, Miss. Faragonda. Well except these two girl's are not on the list." Griselda said, regaining her composure.

Miss. Faragonda looked over at Bloom and Mara. The woman took the clipboard from Griselda and gazed over it for a few seconds. During this Stella sat the baggage down tired of holding the semi-heavy suitcases. Griselda got it back and Miss. Faragonda turned back to the three young fairies. She cupped her chin in one hand an hummed for a moment. Then she gave a soft smile.

"Well girls, care to explain yourselves?" she asked finally.

"Yes, we would Ma'am. You see, my sister, Bloom, and I are earthlings. We met Stella yesterday in our park, while she was fighting off a group of ghouls and an ogre. Each of us used magic once during this battle, magic we didn't know we had. Stella then explained some things to us, and told us about this school. Tho, I'm not entirely sure what she was hoping would happen by bringing the two of us here in the first place, but we don't regret coming. This place is very beautiful, and we are both glad that we got to see it. I suppose we are intruding, and we would both like to apologize for that." Mara have lied.

"We will leave now, and get out of your hair. Stella, would you mind sending us back home?" Bloom added.

"What? Don't tell me you're giving up just like that! You two saved me from an ogre, a hunter troll, and two hordes of ghouls!" Stella yelled.

"It's not our place to impose, Stella. Send us back, please." Mara said flatly.

"But..." Stella started, but after receiving a look of warning from Mara, she slid her ring off her finger.

"That won't be necessary, Stella." Faragonda said.

Miss. Faragonda held up both of her hands and pointed to the sky. For a moment nothing happened, and the other four in the group simply stared at her. Then two flashes of light formed on the headmistress fingertips. The small balls of light sparkled there for a second then shot off up into the air. They spun around each other than faded away.

"What was that?" Bloom asked.

"That, deary, was just a simple spell. One that just added another two names to a few lists." Faragonda said.

"Oh, wait, does that mean?" Stella asked.

"The three of you could have come up with a, complete, lie to try to deceive your way in; instead you told us what happened and were straight forward. I see no reason to not allow you to study at Alfea. And besides, what kind of educator would I be if I just denied two promising, young fairies the right to an education? You can run along now girls." Faragonda said winking to the girls.

"Thank you, Miss. Faragonda!" said Bloom and Mara in unison.

The girls walked off and chatted some more. The earthlings learned that the previous year Stella had blown up the potions lab. The trio laughed about some things that had happened to Mara and Bloom in their earth school years. Then Mara and Bloom grabbing their bags from Stella to make her stop whining. Kiko hopped down from Bloom's arms and jumped ahead of the three. It was a few minutes before Griselda lined them up for a beginning of the term speech.

"This school will be your home for the next five years, but this home can cease to be yours at any moment. The rules of this institution are based on discipline. Disregard these rules, and I'll personally escort you to the front gate. This is not a magician school, you're not here to learn hocus pocus. Consequently you are not allowed to use your magic in the hallways or other common areas. In fact the only place where you may display your powers is in the classroom under teacher supervision. Is that clear?" Griselda lectured.

Faragonda walked up to the girls along with four others. The woman to her right was dressed in bright red and had on a large red hat. The man to the left of Faragonda had long brown hair a few shades lighter than Mara's, and slightly pointed ears. A short fellow beside the man who dressed in green and looked very much like a leprechaun.

"Ladies, here comes your headmistress. Attention please." Griselda commanded.

"Oh, really there's no need to be so stodgy. I hope Miss. Griselda hasn't frightened you all too much. Welcome to Alfea, the best fairy school in the whole of Magix. Mind you it's also the only one. Come on in ladies. And so we begin our orientation, after which we should all know each other better. Becoming a fairy is hard work, but I know that everyone here can do it. Keep in mind that the teachers and I are always here to help you. Alright, enough with the boring stuff, feel free to explore your surroundings. But be very careful there are dangers lurking about." Faragonda said, leading the girls inside the school.

"Stay away from the from the witches and warlocks of Cloud Tower. Listen, that's what's coming up." Stella mocked quietly.

"Stay away from the from the witches and warlocks of Cloud Tower." said Faragonda.

"Alright speeches are over. Everyone's dismissed; you're free till dinner time." Griselda said clapping.

"Good luck everybody, I'll see you tomorrow. Oh, and classes start at eight o'clock sharp. Do be punctual." Faragonda added.

Stella, Bloom, and Mara walked away. The girls walked down a few hallways with Stella in the lead. Bloom and Stella talked about the teachers and the schools. Mara was looking around at the hallway and the random girls in it not hearing a word of what they were saying. Kiko was still hopping around ahead of the three. They stopped at a large green door with a gold trimmed note attached to it.

"Hey look! All three of us are in the same apartment!" Stella exclaimed.

Stella open the door and lead the two earthlings in. The girls stepped into a purplish pinkish, loft looking room. Three green doors, similar to the one they just entered, lead to three, good-sized, two bedded rooms. Kiko jumped around the room for a moment then scampered into one of the rooms. Stella pointed to the same room after he hopped away.

"That's my room over there; the same one I had last year." Stella said, walking over to another note attached to the door. "Looks like you're rooming with me Bloom."

"Really? Then who's Mara rooming with?" Bloom asked.

"If they're in here already, we're about to find out." Mara said, walking to one of the doors parallel to Stella and Bloom's.

Opening the door Mara walked into the room a measly four steps. Stella and Bloom came in after her. Without looking Mara stepped on a bright green root-like plant limb. The appendage retracted and a medium-sized bell looking flower screamed in pain. Another root-looking limb held the one Mara stepped on as it whined. Mara looked confused at first, then her expression changed to one of slight guilt.

"Sorry." she said, feeling somewhat silly for apologizing to a plant.

"No, excuse me. I just got here, and we'll... left my things laying all over the floor. This is a talking plant; one of my creations. My name is Flora." the girl who was in the room explained.

Flora, while introducing herself knocked over the talking plant. Looking at it with guilt she ignored Mara for a moment. She was wearing a puffy, light green halter, and a short skirt with pink strawberry pattern. Mara noticed the Flora's hair just as long as Stella's and was about three shades lighter than her own; she also realized that the other girls skin was only a shade lighter than hers. Flora looked back up to the three girls.

"I'm Princess Stella." said Stella.

"I'm Bloom, nice to meet you." Bloom said.

"I think I should wait till we meet the others before I give my name." Mara said.

"Alright, anyhow it's nice to meet you all." Flora said.

The four girls walked back out into the loft. Standing in the middle of the room was another girl. She had very short purple hair and was carrying a blue suitcase. She was dressed in purple and green pants, shoes, and halter. She had one hand on her hip, and was smiling at the four warmly.

"Hi, my name's Tecna." she said.

"Hi, Tecna. I'm Stella." said Stella walking over to her.

"Hey, I've heard about you." Tecna said.

"Me too." another voice said.

The girls looked over to the main door. A pale girl stood in the doorway holding a green bag over one shoulder. She had dark blue-black hair in two short pigtails on either side of her head. The girl also wore a halter, a red one that only had one sleeve. She was wearing cuffed jeans with one too many pockets, and red sneakers.

"By the way, before you blow up a room, give us time to duck and cover okay." the girl said, making to others laugh.

"It was an accident." Stella protested crossing her arms.

"An accident, that got you expelled! How did you manage to get readmitted?" asked Tecna.

"Well the true is, they just couldn't do without someone as gorgeous as me." Stella said.

"Not to mention humble." added Mara sarcastically.

The other girls laughed at this also, and Stella stuck her tongue out at Mara. A loud yell was heard from Mara and Flora's room. The girls turned to look through the door and saw the source of the noise. Kiko, who had hopped into the room only moments before, was dangling upside down by one of his tiny rabbit feet. The talking plant had a hold of him by one of its vein-like appendages and was swinging him around. Flora and Bloom hurried into the room.

"Bad plant! Put him down right away!" Flora shouted at the plant.

"No Flora, don't scold your plant." Bloom said, retrieving Kiko from the plants lose grip.

"Yeah, Kiko probably tried to eat it. It was just defending itself." Mara added from the doorway.

"You hungry little bunny?" Flora said, grabbing a nearby pot of soil and packet.

She poured some small seeds into the pot; once the seeds hit the dirt they sparkled. Then a bright flash of light shone from the top of the pot briefly. Four small green plants began to grow and grow, and a few moments after four big carrots were partly buried in the soil. Flora sat the pot on the ground, and Bloom let Kiko hop down from her hand. The two then walked back out to the loft with the other girls.

"Speaking of food, what do ya say we eat out tonight? It'll be our way of celebrating the new school year." Stella said.

"Great idea. That'll give us a chance to get to know one another." agreed Flora.

"Which reminds me, the two of you still haven't given us your names." Tecna said pointing to Mara and the blue haired girl.

"Oh, yeah. I'm Musa." said the blue haired girl.

"My name's Makantagara. But unless, for some unknown reason, any of you wants to say that mouth full constantly, just call me Mara." she said with a chuckle.

And with that the six girls made their way out of the room. They went back through the halls making some small talk on the way. When they stepped out into the courtyard, one of the girls began to have an uneasy feeling. None of them knew that Griselda was watching them head out with suspicion clear in her eyes. Unknown to even Griselda, another pair of eyes were after the girls also, these however were focused solely on one earthling, with a much darker intent. Naive to the watching eyes the young fairies pressed on; catching a bus, they made their way to a city not too far from Alfea.

"Magix station! Last stop, please transfer here!" the bus driver said as the bus came to a halt.

The six fairies got off the bus and paused just outside of it. Tecna was behind Bloom, leading her off, with Musa doing to same to Mara. The other two girls stood around looking at the four with amused expressions. Both Bloom and Mara had their eyes covered with their hands.

"Are we there yet?" Bloom asked.

"Yeah, can we open our eyes?" added Mara.

"Yes, go ahead take a look." Tecna said.

The sisters uncovered their eyes and looked around. They felt like they had travelled into the future. Vehicles hovered around and flew, and the buildings were strangely constructed and decorated. People were walking up and down the sidewalks past the girls.

"Cool." Mara said finally.

"How are those cars floating?" Bloom asked amazed.

"Here everything lives off its own magical energy. Magic is everywhere." Stella explained.

"Never mind that, lets eat." Flora said.

Everyone agreeing to that plan, the girls set off again. On the way to some restaurant the girls talked about some basic topics. They passed by a glasses store with a rather familiar person shopping there. Mara saw this person out of the corner of her eye, but instead of making a scene, she kept walking. A few moments later Knut ran out of the store heading in the opposite direction.

* * *

><p><em><strong>With Knut...<strong>_

"I must warn my Highness's immediately. They're in Magix too. They can deal with things themselves this time." Knut said, running through the streets dialing a cell phone as he ran.

"_Hello? Ah, Knut! What is it this time you useless, smelly ogre?_"A voice on the other line said.

"The fairy and their friends are in town my Highness. I just saw them walk by; they were headed down town." Knut said.

"_Are you sure? That sounds almost too good to be true. Stella's scepter must be ours. Now listen to me! You won't fail us this time, and if you do. I will make triple sure you will never take your glasses off ever again! Got it?_" the voice said.

"No glasses I promise I won't let you down. And another thing my Highness, _they_ are also back." Knut added.

"_So what? Just focus on the scepter you idiot!_" yelled the voice.

* * *

><p><em><strong>In A Restaurant...<strong>_

The girls were sitting around a light blue-green, circular table. Bloom and Mara began to wonder if everything levitated in Magix, since they were sitting in chairs that seemed to flout a little above the ground and were the same color as the table. Mara was sitting between Flora and Musa and across from her sister, who was between Stella and Tecna. They all had just finished eating when Bloom remembered that she was supposed to call home to update Mom and Dad and tell them that they, her and Mara, were alright. She took out her cell and dialed the number, she made a confused look when she put it to her ear. The others looked at her curiously when she tried two more times.

"Having problems?" Stella chuckled.

"I don't understand why my cell's not working. See, I pressed down the numbers, and nothing happens." Bloom said while demonstrating.

"Let me have a look." said Tecna, Bloom handed the phone to her. "I'm very good with Technology." Tecna explained.

The purple haired fairy then looked over the red cellular device. She looked at it for only a few brief seconds. Stella, Musa, Bloom and Flora looked at her with confusion written all over their faces when Tecna began laughing. She took the back of the phone off and looked at the pieces, laughing all the while. Makantagara smirked knowingly at the scene.

"Tecna, what's so funny?" Musa asked.

"This is ancient technology." Tecna said placing the cell on the table, "Where did you get that thing?"

"But, it's the most recent model." Bloom said.

"On Earth maybe." add Stella.

"I'm sorry. I shouldn't have laughed; that was rude."

"Don't worry about it Tecna." Mara said.

"Like it matters to you anyway." Bloom said while pointing to her sister.

"What do you mean?" asked Flora.

"Sis, has never used a phone in her life." Bloom explained.

"And I never will." Mara said, crossing her arms.

"How come?" Tecna asked after handing Bloom back her phone.

"Because they are unreliable and cost more than anyone should be willing to pay just to communicate with other people." stated Mara.

"Then how do you talk to people?" asked Stella.

"If they are around the same area as me, I find them and talk to them face to face. If they are farther away, I send them a letter with Amoun."

"What's an Amoun?" Musa asked.

"Amoun is a who, not a what." Mara said firmly.

"He is Sister's Peregrine Falcon. She saved him from being illegally sold by kicking some poachers buts back when she was visiting Cairo with Uncle Akeem a year ago. Ever since then Amoun has been by her side." Bloom explained.

"You send mail by bird, now that's truly prehistoric." Tecna said.

"Say what you will, but Amoun is more reliable than any of your technology." said Mara holding her head high.

"Then where is he now?" Stella asked.

"I'd say he would be at home about now. I wish he was home before all this happened, then he could have come with us like Kiko did. Mom and Dad are most likely writing back to Akeem as we speak." Mara said.

"Well, all this aside, I still need to get to a phone. There wouldn't happen to be a payphone around here, would there?" Bloom said.

"Yeah, if memory serves me there's one just around the corner from here." Stella said.

The girls all stood up from their seats, and walked out. Except for Stella and Mara who went to pay the bill. The two rejoined the others right in front of the restaurant. Bloom had begun to get a bit antsy about calling home. Mara shook her head at her sister, but couldn't really blame her. Because despite the pleading for more freedom now and then, Mara knew Bloom had never really been very far from home alone. Mara took in their surroundings. Night fell while they were eating, and the stars were shining brightly in the dark blue sky. A few stray couples and families dotted the peaceful streets; she noticed that there was a white, sparkling fountain in the center of a large walkway. Mara vaguely wondered if it worked like ones back on Earth, seeing how it didn't look any different on the outside. The zoned out girl snapped back to her senses as Stella pointed the way to the pay phone to Bloom. After grabbing her and Mara's credit card Bloom ran in the direction Stella pointed out, yelling back at them that she'll be back in a bit.

"Let's go sit by the fountain while we wait." Flora suggested.

And with everyone's agreement they made their way to said fountain. Flora and Tecna sat side by side on the edge of it; Musa stood by Flora and Stella beside Tecna. Mara stood in front of the them. The five began to talk about random topics as they waited for Bloom to return.

"You two still haven't explained who Akeen is you know." Stella said out of no where.

"Again, it's Akeem Stella." Mara said.

"Akeen, Akeem, Akrill, whatever! Who is he?" demanded the blond.

"Stella, calm down." Flora said softly.

"Yeah, you seriously need to chill." Musa added.

"Well, don't you what to know too?" whined Stella.

"Yeah, but..." all but Stella and Mara said.

"Guys, it's not some big taboo. You all really want to know so badly I'm fine with telling you." said Mara.

"Then spill!" Stella yelled.

"Akeem is..."

* * *

><p><em><strong>With Bloom...<strong>_

Bloom was standing in a blue, pod-like payphone. There was a swirling pattern of light green on the sides, and the front of the machine was a clear, thin door that appeared to be made of glass or plastic. The phone itself corresponded with its outer shell, rounded out and blue-green. She put the credit card into a small slit in the device that looked the same size as one, and dialed the number of their house phone. The phone rang twice before Vanessa picked it up.

"_Hello? Bloom?"_

"Hi, Mom... Everything is great. The school is wonderful, and I'm sharing a room with Stella, Sis, and three other girls... No, courses start tomorrow morning, but don't worry I'll keep you posted alright... Yes I understand..."

At this moment Bloom looked outside of the payphone. She paused in her words, and went wide-eyed at the sight she saw. A huge, yellow ogre was walking down the street towards where Mara and the other girls were suppose to be waiting for her. Bloom was positive that it was Knut, the ogre that attacked Stella and then her home. Unlike Makantagara, Bloom was too curious to let it go and walk away; she had to know what he was up to. She turned her head in the direction he had went and kept an eye on him.

"Uh, Mom, I gotta go now; the girls are calling me. Hug and kiss Daddy for me and Sis please. Bye." Bloom said hanging up and grabbing the card.

She pushed open the door to the payphone quickly and ran in the direction Knut had gone. She stopped a few feet away from him, but kept on his trail. Knut suddenly pressed himself against the wall of some random building like you see spy's do in the movies. Bloom, not wanting to be seen by him, copied his actions. The two gained some odd stares by passers-by. Knut hopped across a small alleyway path for no apparent reason and leaned against another building. He peered around the corner of the building to see the other five girls.

"I'm sure it's him; the creature that attacked us in Gardenia." Bloom gasped, peering around a different corner at Knut.

"He's watching my sister and friends, but where is he now?" she added looking again, and seeing that Knut was gone. "I have to find him."

* * *

><p><em><strong>Random Creepy Alley A Little Ways Away...<strong>_

Three, teenage, female figures stood cloaked in the dark shadows on the dead-end alley. Knut bravely came around the corner and up to the three figures. The one in the center stepped into the soft, night-light. Her hair was a very long,and very pale blue that it was practically white; it was up in a very high ponytail, held up with a four-inch long, dark blue piece of cloth with three diamond-shaped holes in it, with two, shoulder length, curled strand on either side of her face. Her eyes were a cold, ice blue that had thick, greenish blue eye shadow above and below them. She had lightly tanned skin and was dressed in a dull, navy blue, one-piece suit. Down the front of the suit is a white stripe that forms a thin belt with the letter "I" over the stomach. She was wearing fingerless gloves that showed off black painted nails. A dark blue choker with three, white-blue diamonds on it was strapped onto her neck. Behind her swayed a royal blue cape, and on her feet were knee-high boots that were a darker shade of blue than her suit.

The other two then stepped out beside her. The one to the right has long brown hair that reaches down her ankles, with long, slightly curled bangs that reach to her waist that are a lighter shade of brown. She has dull yellow eyes. Her outfit is a sleeveless, indigo bodysuit with Capri-style pants. A thin, light purple line forms a "D" at her belt. She has on light purple gloves and ankle boots that are the same color as her outfit. Like the first she wears eye shadow above and below her eyes, but hers is a dark violet color. The girl on the far left had dark blue, frizzy hair shaped like a cloud with whitish purple curls that go past her shoulders that look like lightning bolts. Her eyes looked a sea-foam green color. She is wearing a maroon dress with the letter "S" embossed at the middle of her outfit. She has matching maroon fingerless gloves that go to her elbows. She also has matching tights. Her high-heeled boots are the same height as the second ones and are also maroon in color. Like both of the others, she's wearing eye makeup of the color of her outfit and has a choker around her neck.

"Well, Knut?" she demanded.

Knut suddenly looked very nervous and pressed his index fingers together. His pink-tinted eyes widened slightly while he forced a half smiled. He turned slightly and pointed down the alley.

"I saw the girl with the magic scepter in the square, and she was with her friends." Knut said.

"Whoa, that was close." whispered a crouching Bloom; she was behind three trash cans at the end of the alley.

"We've got to get that scepter."

The teenager dressed in purple looked at the ogre with a board expression with her arms crossed under her chest. Abruptly her body locked up, and she appeared to glow a light purple-pink color with static-like waves of the same color passing threw her head. This lasted for only a moment or two then her body relaxed as before.

"Sisters, we are being watched." she said in a low hiss.

The three looked at each other. The blue dressed one held a hand on her chin appearing to think for a few short seconds. As the maroon clad teen gaped a bit. The brunette turned away from the others.

"May I take care of it?" she said.

Her hands were formed into a strange sign in front of her chest. The teen began to float in the air an inch or two above the ground. An outline of her glowed a dark purple then split from her. As soon as the outline was completely separated from the original, color faded into the purple glow just as the girl was colored. Both landing on the ground slowly.

"Move you big oaf, I can't see a thing." Bloom said quietly to herself.

"Now all I have to do is disappear." said the original girl.

She disappeared in swirls of deep purple that ran up her form from her feet. The copy chuckled behind her hand, then crossed her arms and stood as the original was earlier.

"And she'll stay here." said the first teen.

Bloom was kept in the dark about all this by Knut who had unintentionally blocked her view of what was going on. She still hid behind the trash cans, peeking over the lids cautiously. When Knut side-stepped, scratching his head in confusion, she was able to see the three girls once again.

"Ah, that's better." Bloom whispered.

Completely unaware that one was a fake Bloom kept on spying on the four for a few moments more. The long-haired brunette appeared directly behind Bloom in a black and purple haze. Before she knew what hit her, Bloom was thrown in front of everyone by two, pale violet, spiraling lights that spun out of the girl behind her hands. Bloom landed on her side with thud. When she was trying to get up from the ground the girls stepped up to her. The one with the "I" on her outfit was in the middle and was looking down at Bloom with slight amusement, while the other two were glaring at the girl with scowls on their faces. The center girl pointed to the copy and it began to disappear in a shower of purple as she spoke.

"So, did you like our little joke?" she asked.

"Turn around!" yelled the girl behind Bloom.

The earthling gasped in surprise and turned around somewhat to see the indigo covered girl behind her. Bloom's eyes went wide when she realized she was surrounded.

"Surprise," she said chuckling.

Bloom -who was still on the ground- scowled at the girl as she walked back over to the other two. She sat on the ground in a somewhat defensive pose.

"I am a fairy," announced Bloom.

Putting on a brave face the red-head pointed one hand at the three. A small, gold shower of magic flew slowly from her outstretched hand. The magic stopped short at the three unimpressed teenagers and curved down to the ground.

"Ha, you call that magic hm?" said the center girl, raising her hand. From her hand pale blue, snow-like flakes burst out in all directions. "I'll show you magic."

Bloom gasped and cringed slightly, covering her face. A small blast of the girls magic came from the ground near Bloom. Long, sharp crystals of clear, light blue ice sprang from the place the magic hit. They surrounded a shocked and terrified Bloom, keeping her from moving.

"That's magic."

The brunette then sent an attack of spiraling purple magic at the trapped Earthling. Bloom shook from it, her eyes wide and frightened.

"And that's magic."

The ice crystals didn't hold up to the assault and soon vanished in a rain of purple-pink dust; Bloom was shot back several feet by the attack. The short-haired girl growled at her as two streams of pinkish colored magic formed from her hands. The maroon wearing girl threw her hands up above her head, with that one gesture a large tornado went spiraling towards Bloom. The funnel of wind-swept up the scared Gardenian and sent her circulating up as if she was a rag doll. Bloom was thrown into the nearby building hitting her back against it, and bouncing off it -performing a backflip- from the force she was thrown at it. She grabbed the edge of the building looking down in horror while the girls and Knut laughed at her.

* * *

><p><em><strong>To The Square...<strong>_

The look on Mara's face was nothing but serious as she looked around while she shifted from one foot to the other. The other girls -who had up to this point been talking about the story of Akeem Mara had just told them looked at her with concern.

"You okay Mara?" Flora finally asked.

"Yeah, you seem a bit tense." Musa added.

The Egyptian turned her gaze to the others, her serious face not wavering. She looked over her shoulder to the direction Bloom had run off to. Then Mara decided to answer the question asked.

"Bloom shouldn't be taking this long."

"She has been gone for a while." Tecna said.

"Maybe she was distracted, or she got lost, or she was kidnapped, or..." Stella said, but stopped abruptly at the sight of the glare of death Mara was sending her.

"I'm gonna go look for her." Mara said turning to leave.

"We'll come with you." said Flora, standing.

"No, you all stay here just in case, but if I'm not back in fifteen minutes, with Bloom, come find us. I have a bad feeling that something bad has already happened." Mara explained.

The four girls nodded, and Flora sat back down. Mara gave a short nod of confirmation then ran off in the direction of the payphone. She arrived there in a matter of seconds. She gave a loud sigh when she saw her sister was nowhere around. Mara scanned the area carefully for any sign of what direction Bloom might have gone from there. Her eyes -which were very slowly turning gold from worry- caught sight of small, plastic square in the middle of the deserted walkway a few feet away from the payphone. She lightly jogged to it, and crouched down to it. Upon picking it up, she found it to be her and Blooms credit card. Mara looked down the road ahead from where she was at now. A look of determination flashed over her face as she stood up and began running in that direction.

* * *

><p><em><strong>To The Alley...<strong>_

"Get down here!" yelled the girl in the phony tail, pointing to Bloom. A blast of her magic shot from her fingertip and forced Bloom off of the ledge. "I'm not done yet." she said throwing into a small pile of cardboard boxes stacked against the alley wall.

Bloom landed on her back and plopped down to her side with a painful yelp. The three teens and Knut walked up to her. The girl in the center of the three laughed at Blooms pain.

"Now, the final touch." said the girl dressed in blue.

Bright faint blue lights flashed in her hands, which were pointed towards the red-head. When the light disappeared chunks of clear blue ice shot out at Bloom. The girl laughed behind her hand with a sinister grin on her face, but just as quickly as the grin came it vanished. Unable to try to fight back from the -admittedly small- amount of damage she had taken; Bloom was lifted up by the power of the attack. Her head was thrown back with her arms limp at her sides, her eyes closed and mouth wide open. Giant ice sickles grew rapidly from the ground under her and encased her in their frosty grip. The clear leader of the group walked up to the frozen girl and placed a hand on the ice next to Blooms head.

"What a pity you had to meet us, stupid little fairy." she said scratching the ice with her nails.

"Bloom!" yelled someone from the end of the alley.

All heads, excluding Blooms obviously, turned to the voice. Standing a few feet away from the girls and Knut was Makantagara, lightly panting from her sprint. Her molten gold eyes went wide in shock at the sight of her sister frozen in ice with a pained expression on her face; then they narrowed on the four people staring at her. The ice controlling teen smiled wickedly at the newcomer.

"A friend of yours?" she said tapping on the ice with her knuckle.

The girl laughed loudly. Mara let out a beast-like growl as she seethed, that made Knut flinch. The girl dressed in maroon noticed the creatures slight fear of the girl in front of them. She half turned to him, and began to glare at the large yellow ogre.

"You know her. Who is she?" she demanded.

Knut jumped at the sudden question. He fidgeted somewhat looking everywhere but at the women in front of him.

"Knut!" the brunette warned.

"She is the fairy that took down the hunter troll like he was nothing." said Knut quickly.

"Oh really," the purple haired girl scoffed.

The other two gave this a moments thought. Seeing the mixed emotions of anger, fear, and dread in her eyes, the girl with the "I" on her stomach shot a nasty smile at Mara.

"You're too late to save her, you know." she sneered at her.

A that moment Mara looked like she had all the air knocked out of her lungs. The three girls laughed at her expression, but Mara was too mentally gone to care about it. A flash of bright white light had covered the sight before her and a completely different one filled her vision.

_Makantagara stood at the doorway of a dimly lit room with wide and tear filled eyes; it was large enough for a three-story building to fit into it. From what she could see the walls sloped in gently to the ceiling, and they looked to be made of gold. Beautiful red tapestries hung here and there, and hieroglyphics carved into the shining precious metal. Six large, gold basins holding black fire hung suspended in the air. The floor was snow-white marble that had only the barest hints of light gray lines. On the opposite side of the room raised up from the ground to two thrones that had four shadow-like figures gathered around them. One, a male, sat on a broken throne, only a sliver of light reached him and it landed on the lower half of his face; while another two, a man and a woman, stood by his sides completely covered in the black shadows. The last was a woman, the only one in full view, laying on the ground._

_She was dead._

_Bright red blood flowed over her throat, face, and through her hair on the floor from the deep, jagged slash that was cut across the woman's neck, as well as the many wounds that covered her bruised and beaten body. She was on her back, her head tilted backward in Makantagara's direction. The woman's limbs twisted and turned this way and that, with a broken, silver, sword clutched tightly in her stiff right hand. Her once stunning, silver trimmed, white gown was torn and stained with blood. While the woman's long, raven hair was splayed out like spilled ink over the first two steps that lead to the thrones. The warm glow that the woman's golden brown skin normally held was gone. Glazed over dark brown eyes blankly stared at the young fairy, empty of any trace of life. Makantagara felt streams of tears run down her face._

_**"**__**الأم؟**__(Mother?)__**"**_ _a little girl's broken and cracked voice asked._

_The standing two laughed at her before the sitting man silenced them with a harsh, rough voice. Makantagara felt as though her body was frozen in place as his unseen eyes focused on her. The man on the throne's mouth dropped to a cold frown for a moment, then he smiled at the girl, it was a charming, warm smile._

_**"**__**أنت متأخر جدا لانقاذ حياتها**__**.**__(You are too late to save her.)__**"**_ _he said._

Mara came back from the bloody vision with her eyes wide, and her mouth agape, gasping for breath. She was shaking like a leaf in the wind of a tornado. Her head was down she stared at her feet as the three teenagers laughed.

"No." Mara whispered.

"Awwww, is the little pixie scared?" the girl in blue taunted.

"Not again." said Mara a little louder.

"What's that? Crying for Mommy, little girl." the maroon clad girl said.

"No!" Mara screamed.

_**"**__**تحمي لها**__**!**__(Protect her!)__**" **_a deep voice hissed painfully in Mara's mind.

The Egyptian clamped her hands over temples as she tossed her head back, still screaming. Poisons green and black mist spirals swirled around Mara in an increasing speed, lifting her up a foot or two in the air. Mara's figure was shredded and ripped by the powerful wind, and from the shreds she appeared in her fairy form. The three other girls and Knut shielded their frightened and shocked faces with their arms from the wind created from the cyclone of magic. She stopped screaming, her head snapped like a whip back in their direction. Her eyes were a solid, glowing gold. The spirals of colored mist collected and condensed around Makantagara, forming into a large, some what solid amphisbaena*. The creature was as large as the buildings that enclosed them. Its body was split in color at the middle; the dark green half to Mara's left, and the black half to her right. It had four scaly limbs tipped with long, pearl white claws -two on each colored half of the creature- facing away from each other. On each end of its elongated form was a snake-like head, both heads were facing the direction of the small group at the other end of the alley. Each head held a set of glowing gold eyes that left an eerie trail of light as it moved.

Dark, black storm clouds gathered above the alley ominously; they circled slowly directly above Mara. Who was still shaking violently, her breath coming out in short gasps, and her arms dropped to her sides limply. The necks of the slightly misty figure crossed around Mara and leered over the girl's shoulders. Opening their mouths they showed long, sharp, white fangs and forked silver tongues. The creature quickly lunged. Its fangs buried themselves through Mara's necklace and deep into her flesh. Mara's body immediately stopped shaking and stiffened; throwing her head back once more she let out a short, bone chilling shriek of pain.

From the penetrating fangs of the amphisbaena the gold of Mara's necklace dulled to black. Near the edges of the necklace, the bandages around her torso, as well as the ones wrapped around her arm, bled to a red as crimson as blood. The bangle on her wrist disintegrated and fell to the earth like sand. Her skirt and all but the heels of her shoes rapidly faded to crimson. A bright, silver light flashed over Mara's belt, the heels of her shoes abruptly turning black. Just as the bangle did, parts of Mara's boots began to disintegrate to dust leaving behind what looked like gladiator boots. Makantagara's beetle wings spread out to a painful extreme that made her back ache. The once smooth edges were stretched as though by the sharp, demonic claws of the creature itself leaving them in a shape similar to a dentate leaf. The gold of her wings changed to a dull grey and the red seemed to drip down them like fresh blood. The only things untouched by the powerful magic were the scarab on her necklace and the Eye of Horus on her belt.

After this transformation was finished the amphisbaena faded to nothing, leaving Mara to fall to the ground. Kneeling on one knee, Mara's erratic breathing and pained gasps was all that could be heard. Mara's red blood dripped down her torso from the fang inflicted wounds on her shoulders. Still shaking, this time from the effort to stay conscious, Mara wondered vaguely what that creature was. Everything went still, and the sky cleared except for a few clouds. Surprisingly Bloom's ice prison held under the power that was expelled from the mysterious creature; this moment of peace passed slowly as the three other teenage girls tried to regain their composure. No one moved a muscle, and words didn't pierce the sudden calm that enclosed the alley. A cold chill ran up Knut's spine when a primal urge to run hit him almost as hard as the strong scent of blood hit his nose. Knut took a few steps back trying to put a little more distance between him and the injured fairy.

"That was a pretty good illusion, but that won't frighten us," Icy spat at Mara stepping forward with her fist raised.

"Illusion?" Knut asked unsure.

"Y- yes, of course it was an illusion you fool!" Stormy said smacking his arm.

Darcy nodded agreeing the other two. Mara's breathing evened out some while the four conversed; she looked up to them from her crouching position. At the moment the young Egyptian's gold eyes shown with pain, but then her eyes slowly shifted away from them to her frozen sister. Mara let out an animalistic growl, then it was as if her body was attached to puppet strings. The injured girl leapt to her feet and darted straight to the imprisoned fairy. She clawed at the ice wildly, acting more like a deranged animal by the minute. Knut backed up against the alley wall on the opposite side of the space. But unlike Knut, the Trix didn't notice the strange, almost evil, aura coming off the Egyptian. And they possibly the worst thing one could do in a situation like that; they laughed.

"You fool, you think that will do anything!" Darcy cackled.

"How pathetic can you get." Sneered Icy.

Stormy could barely speak she was laughing so hard. None of these insults got through to Makantagara though; the only thing in her mind was "Save Bloom, protect Bloom." Mara had lost all control of herself, body and mind. If she didn't then perhaps the young fairy would have noticed the blood that was beginning to smear on the ice or the aching pain in her fingertips. The magic ice held strong against Mara's relentless clawing. The only sign of an attack at all were shallow indents with thin coatings of slowly drying blood. The fruitless effort seemed to anger whatever creature had taken over her and she turned to the three witches and the ogre. Growling menacingly, Mara took a step toward them.

The Trix's laughter and insults died down to silence as they took a good look at the fairy. It was a ghastly sight. Deep crimson clothing slightly messed up from the events before. Her hair, though still in a single braid, was wild with loose strands blowing freely in the slight breeze. Blood was still trickling down her front on her exposed stomach from the wounds on her chest, and droplets fell to the earth from her torn fingernails. Mara's eyes glazed over from eminence pain and blood loss. But even through that fine glaze, they seemed to glow a solid gold, and her blazing emotions could still be seen: rage, hate, fear. Mara summoned her Khopesh to find that, they too, had changed. The two sickle-swords were no longer both solid silver. Both of their hilts and inner curves were pure white, the blades were different on each though; the one in Mara's left hand had a dark green blade and the one in her right had an onyx black blade.

With her weapons in her hands, and killing intent rolled off Mara in waves, Knut was all but cowering against the wall. Every instinct in his body was screaming at him to run and, if it weren't for the punishment he would surely receive from his Highness's, he would have run away screeching like a frightened child. Icy, whether out of fear or anger we may never know, started to attack Mara. She held her arm out with her palm toward the glaring earthling, pale blue light covered her hand as thick needles of ice formed in the air. The blue witch clenched her hand quickly and the sharp shards shot toward Makantagara with incredible speed. Mara's own consciousness snapped somewhat into control for that split second. Bracing herself on her right foot, the experienced fighter swung both Khopesh in a down strike shattering each one that was heading straight for her head and torso.

Some of the shards flew past her and embedded themselves into the giant ice crystals that incarcerated Bloom. Some stopping a mere inch from Bloom's skin. Mara turned around when she heard the ice crack from the impacts. Stormy and Darcy took the opportunity to attack the distracted girl. Stormy rose her hand over her head then throwing them down parallel to the ground as small streaks of maroon sparks her fingertips. Large bursts of lightning zap from her hands heading directly for Mara's back. At the same time Darcy used the same attack as she had against Bloom; holding her hand out like Icy did, a flash of purple sent swirls of dark purple magic towards her as well. Unexpectedly, the two attacks merged together creating strong spirals of dark static.

The mixed attack struck Mara square in the back. The teen covered in drying blood convulsed erratically and was thrown forward onto the ice structure. Luckily, the young Egyptian didn't land on any of the sharp-edged shards the stuck out of it in odd angles. But, thankfully, the ice finally gave way and shattered with the impact. Mara and the now free Bloom both collapsed to the ground. Bloom coughed a bit and softly gasped for air, facts that were a great relief to Makantagara before true unconsciousness took hold of her. Behind the Trix, Knut had stopped cowering because the dangerous aura that had surrounded the brunette fairy, that had his instincts warning him to run from, was suddenly gone. The three witches leered threateningly and took a step toward the two.

"Leave them alone," a voice cut through the air.

The Trix and Knut looked to the opening of the alley as they had when Makantagara had appeared. There stood Stella, Musa, Flora, and Tecna with anger, determination, and worry swimming in their eyes. The four fairies glared at them even as flashes of worry crossed their eyes when they glanced to the two on the ground. Stella pointed to the three witches and finished her statement.

"Take us on instead." she said with confidence.

"Pathetic," Icy stated, "Knut they're all yours. Have fun."

The ogre had gained a little confidence and determination back at not being forced to face the strange fighting fairy that was still on the ground. He looked at the four Alfea girls and growled at them. He let out a low, yet intimidating, roar showing his large sharp teeth. This seemed to waver the fairies resolve. He charged at them, still roaring loudly. Once he got close enough he flung his arms over his head and slammed them down at where Stella and Flora were standing. But the girls were able to dive out-of-the-way at the last moment. Each girl transformed into their fairy form, turning the intimidation table around on Knut.

"Now it's our turn, you animal." Stella gritted out glaring at him.

The Trix all had different reactions to this. Icy looked smug, almost pleased, with what was transpiring in front of her. Darcy looked very bored with it all, and Stormy seemed about to blow a gasket at the sight.

"She's the girl with the scepter." Stormy gritted out.

Tecna chose to attack Knut first. She bent both of her arms to the left side of her body with her index fingers pointed behind her.

"Static sphere!" she shouted.

Tecna turned her upper body back in Knut's direction, holding both arms out with her palms facing him. Multiple thin, neon green, laser-like beams shot from the center of her palms; the beams hit Knut's crossed arms. Upon impact the twisting magic dispersed around the ogre and trapped him in a glowing green, spherical net that lifted him off the ground. Knut began to flail some from suddenly being in the air.

"Sonic Blast." Musa said, also holding out both hands facing Knut.

Musa glowed a light purple for a second, before two giant amps appeared on both sides of the yellow ogre. The amps were a translucent purple and blasted sound, so powerful, the waves of it could be seen at Knut in a constant stream. Tecna's net wavered some under the sound but was not destroyed.

"Golden Pollen" said Flora.

She blew on her hands and small daisy-like flowers flew from them. The flowers were instantly absorbed into the ground under Knut's floating feet. Light green strands of what looked like grass sprouted from the spot and coiled around Knut tying him up, while also negating Tecna's net. The grass swiftly uncoiled, throwing the ogre over the Trixes heads and the building behind them. Stormy looked at the sight dumbfounded; Darcy settled for showing her annoyance through a face palm.

"Ugh, what a blockhead." Icy said with disdain.

Icy turned back to the fairies and grabbed hold of her dark blue cape. When she opened wide her cape shards of ice, like the ones she attacked Mara with, flew out in every direction. All while saying,

"Alright, you weaklings, you asked for it."

"Everyone stand behind me," Tecna ordered, the others did so instantly, "Fire Wall."

A see through green, circular shield formed from her wrist just before the ice hit. The ice hit the shield and smashed into pieces. Mara shifts on the ground, now in her normal human form, waking up. Her brown eyes half-open to a scene of what she thinks is a fight. Stormy was growing angrier and angrier by the second and scowled at the Alfea fairies. She pointed to the sky and a large flash of maroon lightning flashed across the sky.

"Sisters leave them to me," she said.

"Guys, watch out!" Mara yells, lifting herself up some with her elbows.

She used the same attack as she had tried to use on Mara, except using only one hand. The lightning struck Tecna's Shield. When the two forces met they exploded, throwing Tecna, Musa, Flora, and Stella back from the force. Icy started to glow a cold blue, snow and light blue mist expelled from her form.

"And now prepare for the worst." Icy said bringing her hand up in front of her chest.

The fairies were just lifting themselves off of the ground from the explosion. Stella got desperate to get the girls out of there, she stood and took off her ring. She threw it into the air and shouted.

"Solaria!"

At the command the ring shined like a bright star against the night sky. The ring changes into her scepter in a second and it falls into her hand. Stella swipes the scepter over all six fairies on the ground.

"Let's get out of here girls."

In a flash of light and a shower of gold sparkles they were gone, just before Icy unleashed her attack. The girls reappeared on a sidewalk on the other side of town. Mara leaned Bloom against a nearby building, while Flora, Musa, Stella, and Tecna started to freak over the dried blood that covered Mara's torso and fingers. Minus a few small scratches, bruises, and a bump on her head, Bloom didn't have any real wounds. Mara didn't pay any attention to them as she looked over her sister's vitals. Bloom's heart and lungs were working just fine, thankfully, but she was far too cold and her fingertips and lips were starting to turn blue. Mara wrapped her arms around Blooms shoulders and held her close, offering any heat she could.

"Here, let me help." Stella offered

The princess stepped nearer charging her magic that made her glow faintly yellow. Mara almost snarled at her, pulling Bloom closer protectively.

_**"**__**لا تلمس لها**__**!**__**ا**__(Do not touch her!)__**"**_ she snapped.

The blond immediately flinched backward. Shock clear on the four's faces, they had never hear the Egyptian speak so harshly. Mara's eyes showed remorse for what she had just said, even though she was sure they didn't understand her native language. She looked to the ground and sighed heavily before looking back up at them.

"I'm sorry; I didn't mean to snap at you like that. I'm just a little..." Mara said, then looked down at Bloom, "stressed I guess. I'm sorry"

The other girl's shock melted into sad understanding. Flora crouched down next to Mara and put a hand on her shoulder, not noticing the girl flinch some from the contact, she spoke.

"It's okay Mara. But we're your friends, we want to help."

"It's more logical for us to watch each others backs." said Tecna.

"Yeah, you don't have to worry so much." Musa added.

Mara's eyes softened and she gave a small smile. Stella again charged her magic and stepped closer again, admittedly far more cautiously this time. Mara's arms tensed more, before she forced herself to let go of her tight hold on Bloom and let the Sun and Moon fairy work her magic. Stella place her hands on Bloom's forearms and began to transfer heat into her. The group sat in silence for five long minutes as Bloom didn't stir. Steam floated from Bloom as she began to heat back up to her normal body temperature. Everyone let out a sigh of relief when her eyes fluttered open. Her teeth chattered and she shivered violently, but she was awake.

"Bloom, are you alright?" Stella asked quietly.

"It's okay, you're safe now Sister." stated Mara.

Bloom looked up at them and gave them all a sleep kind of smile, then winced because she had accidentally hit the bump on her head against the wall behind her. Tecna, Musa, Flora and Stella began to tell both earthlings how worried they had been and how brave the two were, in soft voices of course so they wouldn't cause Blooms head to hurt worse. Bloom placed a hand over her forehead, mentally willing it to so away, and it worked for the most part. The pounding in her ears and the dazed feeling she had disappeared mostly. Now wide awake the redhead suggested that they head back to Alfea. Mara helped Bloom to stand, somewhat reluctantly allowing Stella to help as well. Bloom grabbed onto Makantagara's shoulder to keep from falling when she was hit with a small dizzy spell.

The brunette earthling cringed from the pressure on one of her larger wounds. Bloom immediately yanked her hand back. The redhead finally took a good look her sister and saw all the blood on her. Wide eyed, she gasped, looking up to Mara with a questioning and surprised look. Mara looked to the side, finding the building next to them suddenly very interesting, avoiding their eyes. Tecna noticed that Mara's hair was different from the way it was; Mara hadn't had her hair covering her shoulders like that before. Gazing at the dark brown locks suspiciously, Tecna stood next to Mara and suddenly pulled back the tresses. When they saw what she was hiding, they all winced.

Just above each of her collar bones were two, three-inch, circular holes plunging into her flesh. By the look of it, they had just missed her lungs and any major veins and arteries by mere centimeters. Even so, the area around each wound was thickly caked with half-dried blood and they looked to still be bleeding. The girls looked closer at Mara and found that she wasn't as okay as they at first thought. Her face and lips were a shade or two paler than normal, which was harder to detect in only moonlight and street lamps. The Egyptians eyes were foggy and she was shaking lightly like she was fighting to stay standing. Mara sighed tiredly, and looked to her friends and sister.

"I'm alright, really. Let's just get back to Alfea so I can be bandaged up."

"Alright, alright! Makantagara you have holes in your chest! You are not alright!" Bloom cried out throwing her hands up in frustration.

"Okay Bloom, I'm not alright. But the sooner I get patched up, the soon I'll be alright. Lets go." Mara said calmly.

"Yeah, lets. You need medical attention." Tecna said leading the way.

The trip back was quiet, minus the constant inquiries if the sisters were okay. Mara had grown weaker during the trip and had to lean on one of the others half way through it; the girls took turns helping Mara keep upright. As they neared Alfea, Mara's legs gave out so two of them now had to help support the Egyptian girl. They passed the entrance gate carefully, none of them wanting to get caught sneaking around this late at night. Stella stopped the other fairies just before they were in front of the main door. The blond looked around quickly, not seeing anyone else around.

"Alright, the coast is clear." Stella said in a hushed voice.

They continued walking to the door, but when a throat was cleared and a bright spotlight landed on them they froze. Miss. Griselda and Miss. Faragonda both walked up to the girls as Griselda started to speak.

"Do you have any idea what time it is?"

"Young ladies, we were worried sick!" said Faragonda, "Go to bed immediately, we'll discuss the rules again tomorrow."

"Miss. Faragonda! Mara/sister needs help!" the five teens begged, all their worry busting out into those two phrases.

"What are you..." Griselda started, before she paused and looked over to the girl in question.

"Oh my!" the Head of Discipline shouted with wide open eyes.

Faragonda quickly went up to Musa and Flora, who were keeping Mara standing. In the brightness of the spotlight her full physical state could be see clear as day. Mara, who thought it better to simply show her everything, took her arms out from around her friend's shoulders. The two held onto her waist and back a bit tighter. The injured girl showed the Headmistress her hands while trying not to lean too heavily on her friends. Faragonda's eyes flashed many emotions before settling on worry and resolve. Flora stepped back from Mara when Faragonda made a move to support her herself.

"Griselda, hurry, help me take her to Ofelia!" Faragonda said, taking hold of the girl in a way she hoped wouldn't hurt her.

"Is she still up?" asked Griselda.

"I hope, she said she still had much paperwork to do at dinner. Take her other side, please."

"Yes ma'am," Griselda said, replacing Musa on Mara's other side.

The two adults started to lead Mara to, what everyone assumed was, the school nurse. Bloom, Stella, Flora, Tecna, and Musa tried to follow them but were stopped short when Faragonda turned her head to them.

"You girls go to your rooms, the two of us will take it from here."

Bloom stepped forward, determined, and said, "Mara's my sister Miss. Faragonda. There is no way I'm leaving her side while she's like this."

"Yeah, we're not leaving her either." Musa said.

"This isn't up for discussion girls, go back to your rooms." Griselda said firmly. The young fairies started to protest.

"Guys, please, just go. I'll be fine, I promise." Mara said not turning her head to them.

Bloom and the others stared at the back of Mara's head as a pregnant pause settled over them. Bloom bit her lower lip, fighting with herself over whether to stay with Mara or trust her sister's word. In the end trust had won.

"Alright, Mara. Come on girls, let's go."

With much reluctance, they all turned to go to their dorm. Faragonda and Griselda began to lead Mara to the nurse once again. Stella suddenly turned back around and shouted to them.

"Mara, if you're not better by sunrise I'm gonna hurt you."

Stella then ran to catch up with the others. Mara froze with a puzzled expression before loudly laughing, causing her chest to ache painfully. The trio made their way down the hallways of Alfea wordlessly. When they reached the Infirmary Faragonda waved her hand a bit at the door. Light green sparkles flew from her hand and the door opened with a soft whoosh. The older fairies lead Mara to one of the beds and made her lay down.

"Ofelia! Come here quickly!"

A larger built woman hurried into the room. She had orange-colored hair pulled up into a high bun and deep blue-green eyes. The woman, Ofelia presumably, had on a typical white doctor's coat and a black skirt. She had blue rimmed glasses and blue-green necklace and earrings. She looked incredibly startled at being call on so late in the night.

"What is it? What happened?"

"This young lady needs healed and quickly, by the looks of it she has lost a lot of blood already." Faragonda explained, gesturing beside her.

Ofelia inhaled sharply when she looked at the figure laying on the pristine white sheets between the two other women. She dashed over to Mara and swiftly looked her over. Her face changed from calm to horrified at the teen's wounds. She mutter something under her breath that sounded like either "You poor child" or "This'll take a while." Mara took a deep breath and spoke to Ofelia.

"It's not as bad as it looks. My organs are not punctured and my main veins and arteries are intact; they're just deep. As for my fingers, don't worry about them much, they can heal on their own."

Ofelia scoffed then smiled gently at her. "Don't insult me child; I am well-known for my medicinal magic. We'll have you fixed up in a jiffy."

"That's good, you may not have to miss out on your first day of class Makantagara." Faragonda said with a small smile.

Mara smiled at her, still looking dazed. "Here's hoping, and you can just call me Mara if you want."

"Now, it will not be painless; not by a long shot. I haven't had to treat wounds as bad as this in ages, so I may only be able to heal the internal damage. Your skin would have to heal naturally." the nurse explained.

"What about her hands? Surely you aren't going to leave them as she suggests." Griselda wonders crossing her arms.

"Oh, of course not. That should only take a minute or two." Ofelia stated before her eyes popped open wide looking at Mara, "My, we shouldn't be standing around gabbing, we need to get you healed up."

The fairy nurse muttered something under her breath while waving her hands over Mara, white spirals circled around the teenager's body. All the dried blood that covered her golden brown skin dispersed, leaving only the layers around her chest wounds and on her fingers remaining. Mara's clothes vanished into a crisp white hospital gown and her shoes disappeared. The teenager's clothes reappeared on the nightstand next to her free of any trace of blood or dirt; her shoes popped up in a puff of smoke by the foot of the bed, completely clean as well. The gown had a wide neckline showing most of her collar and tied securely in the back. Ofelia stepped up, standing next to Mara's side, and held Mara's hands palms down with their fingertips barely touching.

"Now, this is going to hurt dear. In light of the situation, I think it's best we don't numb you. It would do you more harm than good at this point." The nurse warned.

"Ma'am, I already went through the injuries. How bad could the healing be?" Mara said chucking.

Ofelia chuckled with her before turning her attention back to Mara's hands. Soft white beams gently twisted from the older woman's palms to Mara's damaged skin and nails. The beams sunk into her fingertips slowly, making Mara's hands glow faintly. The Egyptian didn't pull back from stabbing sensation needles that spread through her skin, like most others would, and this intrigued the older women. It made them wonder about the life of the new fairy and what she had gone through to gain such a tolerance to pain; to go through all this and not flinch when more pain added could not be an easy feat.

"And how, exactly, did you get these wounds Miss. Makantagara?" Griselda asked.

Mara's brow furrowed in concentration. She looked down at her almost healed hands and thought. How _did_ she get them? The young fairy remembers seeing the three witches, the ogre, and Bloom cased in ice; yes, she definitely remembers that. Faragonda, Griselda, and Ofelia saw Mara's eyes suddenly flash with anger, but it was gone as soon as it came. That vision thing she had, of which she was still confused by, she remembers that as well. What had made her react so strongly to it? Who was that woman? Then there was that creature that appeared behind her: a creature with two heads. It -or they?- had spoken to her, and in Arabic too! She was sure that voice she heard belonged to the creature. But after that, all she remembers is vague bits and pieces until she woke up seeing the others fighting the witches.

"Mara, are you alright?" Faragonda's kind voice broke through Mara's concentration.

The girl shook her head to clear her mind and looked from her hands, which she noticed were completely healed, up to the three women. Each had varying looks of concern and curiosity on their faces. Ofelia seemed almost purely curious, most likely wondering if there could be some sort of spell or poison, on or in the wounds under her neck. Griselda looked just the opposite looking mostly concerned, fighting down almost all curiosity of the young fairy's life, possibly to not look nosy in front of a student. Faragonda's face changed to a distressed frown but her eyes shone with interest at what the girl was going to say.

"Yes, I'm alright. I was just thinking of what all happened before these." Mara said gesturing to the holes in her chest.

"And?" Griselda prompted.

"Let me heal them before she starts explaining them, Griselda. They are going to get infected at this rate." Ofelia said before Mara could open her mouth.

The young, wounded fairy looked into the nurse's eyes with a message of thanks in her own. Ofelia smiled at her. The plump thirty-some year old then had Mara sit up, trying her very hardest not to hurt her. Mara took a deep breath, anticipating the pain she was going to endure with this healing. Lightly pressing her fingertips on Makantagara's shoulders, Ofelia summons her magic once again. Mara clenched her fists and her face contorted in pain. She gasped and hissed through her teeth, but somehow managed to stay perfectly still. The teen could feel her tissue and muscles stretching and bending under the influence of Ofelia's magic. The Egyptian tried to focus on anything other than the healing. She attempted to slow her heart rate, just in case she had started bleeding again; just because she didn't go into Hypovolemic shock before, doesn't mean she couldn't now.

"Mara, do you mind if I ask why you and Bloom call each other sister? I mean no offense, but it is very obvious you two share no blood." Faragonda asked trying to help distract the girl from the pain.

A chuckle left Mara's lips, a light, airy sound even when dulled with the strain. Her eyes moved to the white-haired headmistress and she forced a smile.

"I don't mind being asked. I can't count the times we've had to explain it." Mara gasped from the sharp pain in her flesh, before she started telling almost the same story she had told the other girls earlier that night.

"When I was around six years old, I was very sick and didn't have any family around to look after me. Akeem found me and decided that he would take me in. We lived in Cairo, Egypt for a few months but when my health didn't improve, he moved me to Gardenia. AHH!"

Mara cried out when Ofelia pressed on the skin between her wounds and collar bones. The nurse looked up at the fairy apologetically before returning to inspecting what remained of the wounds. The others looked as well. The holes weren't as large, circumference wise, and they were maybe two inches deep now. The blood that was surrounding them was gone, lighter toned skin showed where the injuries were once larger. Mara inhaled deeply once again saying to herself that it was almost over. She then began her story again.

"That's where I met Bloom, the two of us instantly became best friends and my health improved greatly after that. Akeem had business to do back in Egypt, but rather than risking my health, he asked Blooms parents if they could look after me while he was away on business," Mara hissed as a bit more presser was added and she clenched her fists so hard they turned white.

"They said yes almost immediately, and I started living with them. After awhile they pretty adopted me into their family. Akeem became like an uncle to both me and Bloom. As much as I love the man and as good of a person as he is, he's really not good for parenthood. Eventually, Bloom and I just started to call ourselves sisters. We might as well be really." Mara finally finished.

The teen let out a big sigh when the piercing feeling in her chest slowly faded to dull throbbing aches. Ofelia removed her hands from Mara and stepped back. She looked a bit tired but it isn't that hard to believe; she had pulled an all-nighter with paperwork and then had to heal a major chest wound on short notice. She had healed them very well; the openings were a little under half their earlier size and they were barely a centimeter deep. Makantagara studied the four indents carefully and estimated they would take a week or so to fully heal.

"Griselda, could you hand me the bandages and disinfectant from the cabinet behind to you?" Ofelia asked.

Griselda had stepped away from the rest and was, in fact, standing directly in front of a medicine cabinet. The women nodded in response and turned on her heels in a very precise fashion. She opened the small mirrored door, examining the contents before grabbing a thick roll of white cloth as well as a small green bottle with a white label, and walked back over to the trio. Griselda handed the bandages and bottle to the fairy nurse then went to stand next to Faragonda. Said headmistress looked to be carefully processing the information given from the story. Faragonda's expression softened but her eyes turned serious. Mara looked away from the two and turned to Ofelia, who had already dabbed the disinfectant on the wounds.

"I can handle wrapping myself, Ma'am. I'm sure you still have paperwork or something more important to attend to." Mara said, holding out her hand for the white cloth.

Ofelia let out a surprised gasp before looking down at a green wrist watch on her arm. "Oh my, it's nearly midnight! I have to get those papers finished by morning. Are you sure you can handle it dear?"

"Yeah, you can go; if I couldn't do it, I wouldn't have suggested it." Mara replied calmly as Ofelia placed the bandages in her waiting hand.

Ofelia scurried off to a room connected to the one they were in. Mara assumed it was an office of some kind, but she couldn't be sure. After all, what was "normal" here? The younger woman shrugged to herself and set to work wrapping herself in the soft white fabric. Luckily for Mara the gown she was wearing was just big enough to allow her to wrap her wounds properly, without showing any more of her chest. She placed the tip at the base of her neck and held it there firmly; she then rolled the white bandages across her chest, around her back, and pulled it to the other side of the neck. She crisscrossed it like this twice more before carefully pulling them over her collar bones and wounds three times. She crisscrossed the bandages once more and checked to make sure they weren't too tight or too loose. Faragonda and Griselda had remained silent, as to not break the girls concentration, and each sat down in two wooden chairs just across the room. Mara noticed they were whispering but didn't bother to listen as she tucked in the end of the bandages.

"Now, mind telling us what happened Miss. Makantagara?" Griselda asked, though it sounded more like a statement then a question.

Mara looked at them for a long moment before beginning to speak.

"I really don't know, everything was just so strange." Mara muttered.

"Then start from the beginning. Tell us everything that happened, from the moment you girls stepped out of the school gate to the time you re-entered it." Faragonda suggested.

Mara nodded and began the tale. She explained the reason they left Alfea grounds in the first place, to which the older woman nodded to saying it wasn't an uncommon occurrence. Then she told them the uneventful dinner the girls had.

"Bloom went to call our parents, to let them know that we've settled in and everything. The others and I sat by a fountain, waiting for her to get back so we could come back here. I started to get a bad feeling in my gut that something was wrong, when Bloom was gone for a while longer then she should have been. So, naturally, I went to look for her. I told the others to stay where they were, for when she came back, but if I was gone for too long to come and look for us.. When I finally found Sister, three witches had her trapped in ice in the middle of an alleyway."

"What?!" The two older women asked shocked.

"I don't know what had happened before that, but that's how I found them. Then..." Mara hesitated.

The women, after calming down from the earlier statement, noticed this and Faragonda prompt her to continue. Mara pursed her lips briefly in thought before continuing.

"A creature appeared behind me. I don't know what it was; I only got a glance at it. But, it was huge from what little I did see, and had two heads. It bit me. After that, everything is fuzzy. The next clear memory I have is I was on the ground, with Bloom, surrounded by shattered ice. The other girls were there and in their fairy forms, fighting off the three witches. Sella got us away before one of them hit us with another attack. Stella reversed the freezing process and Bloom came away fine and without any major wounds. I, however, well... you saw me."

"And you're sure that is everything, dear?" Faragonda asked raising an eyebrow.

Should I tell them about the vision I had and the creature talking to me? They could probably help me figure it out. Mara thought for a minute, weighing out the pros and cons of telling them in her mind. She was careful to make her face look as though she was trying to recall something; just to be sure that they didn't immediately think she was hiding something.

"Yes, that's everything I remember Ma'am." the young fairy replied at last.

Both of the older women gave Mara a skeptical look then looked at each other out of the corners of their eyes. They silently decided to let it go. They sat in silence for a minute or two before a chime of a clock snapped each of them out of their own thoughts. The three fairies looked at the clock on the wall as it sounded the hour. It was midnight. Faragonda cleared her throat and looked at Makantagara kindly.

"Well, I don't know about you but I think we should all be heading to bed. Mara you are free to sleep here tonight, and only if you feel you can, join the others for class in the morning."

Mara shook her head no, moved to stand, and smiled at them. "I think it'd be best if I head to my room. The others are most likely still worried, and I should check up on them to make sure they're alright. Besides, you heard Stella, if I'm not okay by sunrise she's gonna hurt me."

Mara stood and grabbed her clothes. Before she could take another step, Faragonda flicked her wrist. Small gold sparkles hit Mara softly. In a flash she was in her clothes with her shoes on, the gown folded and clean in her hands. Mara laughed lightly and muttered, "Right magic." The Egyptian nodded at her in thanks before setting the gown down.

"Thank you. I'll be in class tomorrow, and if I'm not, then you know that the girls didn't let me." Mara laughter again.

The three left the room and went their separate ways. Mara headed straight to her dorm room. She stood in front of the green door and took a deep breath. Slowly the teenager opened the door, careful to be as quiet as possible. The main room was empty, so Mara guessed that the others had gone to bed a while ago. She slipped into the room silently and crept over to her and Flora's bedroom. Halfway there, Kiko ran up to her out of nowhere and tackle hugged her leg. He started to chatter in his own rabbit language and over dramatic tears were flowing from his eyes. Mara looked down at the bunny, smiling, before she pulled him off of her leg and hugged him to her gently.

"I'm alright Kiko," she whispered to him before setting him down. "Sister told you to wait up for me, didn't she?"

Kiko muttered under his breath with a small bunny blush and his face. Mara snickered quietly, patting him on his tiny head. She sent him back to Bloom, knowing that would tell her sister that she was back and alright. The young Egyptian snuck into the bedroom and over to her side of the room. Flora looked to be sleeping soundly. Grabbing her sleep wear, Mara quickly changed clothes. She carefully slid on an over sized tee-shirt that had a dark midnight blue background behind a formation of white stars in the shape of the constellation Orion. She then pulled on a pair of black stretchy pants and crawled under her covers. Flora shifted in her bed and turned over to face Mara. Her eyes opened and Flora looked sleepily at Mara. Flora gasped and shot up.

"Mara! You're back! Are you okay?" she yelled in a hushed tone.

"I'm okay. Ofelia healed me up very well. Now go back to sleep, we have classes in the morning." Mara said shifting to a position that didn't aggravate the small wounds.

Flora smiled at the good news, and told Mara of the conversation her and the others had and what Bloom had said before they went to bed. The earthling smiled and laughed knowingly.

"Winx hmm? I like it." Mara said closing her eyes.

"Bloom said you would." Flora responded with a smile before shifting around under her sheets again.

"Night Flora." Mara said in a yawn; suddenly very tired from the long day.

"Night Mara."

* * *

><p>What is an Amphisbaena?<p>

**Amphisbaena** (plural: **amphisbaenae**), **amphisbaina**, **amphisbene**,**amphisboena**, **amphisbona**, **amphista**, **amfivena**,**amphivena**, or **anphivena** (the last two being feminine), a Greek word, from _amphis_, meaning "both ways", and _bainein_, meaning "to go", also called the Mother of Ants, is a mythological, ant-eating serpent with a head at each end. According to Greek mythology, the amphisbaena was spawned from the blood that dripped from the Gorgon Medusa's head as Perseus flew over the Libyan Desert with it in his hand. Cato's army then encountered it along with other serpents on the march. Amphisbaenae fed off of the corpses left behind. The amphisbaena has been referred to by the poets, such as Nicander, John Milton, Alexander Pope, Percy Bysshe Shelley, Alfred, Lord Tennyson, and A. E. Housman, and the amphisbaena as a mythological and legendary creature has been referenced by Lucan, Pliny the Elder, Isidore of Seville, and Thomas Browne, the last of whom debunked its existence. (got this from Wikipedia)

Makantagara- A side note for some of you that might want to know. Makantagara is a made up, one letter alteration from Mukantagara which means "born during war".


	3. Chapter 3 Teaser

_It hurts!_

_"**يتدعاسم ءاجرلا ،ام صخش !ينودعاس!**" (Help me! Somebody, please help me!)__  
><em>

_Everything aches._

_My legs, _

_my lungs, _

_they're burning._

_I have to keep running._

_Have to get out of here._

_Have to live!_

_The gnashing, it's getting louder!_

_They're getting closer!_

_"**ينع دعتبإ !اديعب ءاقبلا!**" (Stay away! Get away from me!)_

_All I can smell is blood._

_Those things behind me, _

_the ground under me, _

_my skin!_

_It's all covered in blood!_

__It hurts!__

__But I have to keep running!__

__I can't see anything.__

__I'm crying____.__

__The world's a blur.__

__I don't know where I'm going.__

__Where can I go?__

__Everything's gone.__

__Everyone's dead.__

__Why am I running?__

__What's the point...__

_"_**ينودعاس.**"(Help me.)__

__It hurts.__


End file.
